ballon

\ba.lɔ̃\

/\ba.lɔ̃\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“ballon” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,983 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,983
frequency rank, French
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Objet de forme sphérique, généralement composée d’une vessie gonflée d’air et recouverte de cuir ou de plastique et servant à jouer.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ballon vs baron
67% similar
ballon vs bâton
50% similar
ballon vs balls
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ballon
PropertyValue
Headwordballon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ba.lɔ̃\
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,983
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ballon” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ballon lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for ballon is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ba.lɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,983 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ballon, with forms such as "abllon", "ballno", and "ballonn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "baron", "bâton", "balls", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is ballon, spelled B-A-L-L-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Objet de forme sphérique, généralement composée d’une vessie gonflée d’air et recouverte de cuir ou de plastique et servant à jouer.
  2. 2
    Objet de forme sphérique, généralement composée d’une vessie gonflée d’air et recouverte de cuir ou de plastique et servant à jouer.
  3. 3
    Objet de forme sphérique, généralement composée d’une vessie gonflée d’air et recouverte de cuir ou de plastique et servant à jouer.
  4. 4
    Tout objet souple gonflé d’un fluide.
  5. 5
    Tout objet souple gonflé d’un fluide.
  6. 6
    Ballon de baudruche.
  7. 7
    Balle de fusil.
  8. 8
    Objet servant à stocker.
  9. 9
    Aérostat qui s’élève dans l’atmosphère grâce à une grande poche que l’on remplit d’air chaud ou d’un gaz plus léger que l’air.
  10. 10
    Verre de forme sphérique ; son contenu.
  11. 11
    Grand vase de verre de forme sphérique destiné à recevoir et à condenser les fluides qui se dégagent dans certaines.
  12. 12
    Éthylotest.
  13. 13
    Sommet arrondi d’une montagne.
  14. 14
    Navire à rames, dont on se servait au Siam, sur les fleuves et sur les mers ^([1]).
  15. 15
    Prison, poste de police.
  16. 16
    Arrangement de crinolines qui, sur les robes féminines, donnait une apparence de rondeur aux fesses.
  17. 17
    Meuble représentant le véhicule du même nom dans les armoiries. Il est généralement représenté guttiforme renversé (en forme de goutte à l’envers) avec une nacelle suspendue par des câbles. À rapprocher de aéroplane, avion et montgolfière.

Synonyms

balouneballon de baudruchebaudruchematrasréférentiel bondissant

This word in other languages

ball(English)pelota(Español)Ball(Deutsch)bola(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abllon,ballno,ballonn,baloln,balon,bballon,blalon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ballon - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abllon2ballno2ballonn1baloln2balon1bballon1blalon2
Edit distance from "ballon"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ballon"?
"ballon" is spelled B-A-L-L-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ba.lɔ̃\.
What does "ballon" mean?
As a noun, "ballon" means: Objet de forme sphérique, généralement composée d’une vessie gonflée d’air et recouverte de cuir ou de plastique et servant à jouer.
What words are commonly confused with "ballon"?
"ballon" is commonly confused with "baron", "bâton", "balls". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ballon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ballon" is \ba.lɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ballon" come from?
"ballon" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “ballon”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is B-A-L-L-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ba.lɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “baron” - see the side-by-side comparison. ballon vs baron
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list