bec

\bɛk\

/\bɛk\/ noun

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

The verdict

“bec” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #6,787 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,787
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Partie saillante, dure et cornée, formée de deux parties appelées mandibules, utilisé par les oiseaux pour attraper et consommer leur nourriture. Suivant les espèces, les becs présentent différente...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bec vs by
33% similar
bec vs bu
33% similar
bec vs bi
33% similar

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

Key facts for bec
PropertyValue
Headwordbec
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bɛk\
Letters3
Frequency rank#6,787
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bec” 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). bec 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 bec is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \bɛk\. Corpus data places it at rank #6,787 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 edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for bec, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "by", "bu", "bi", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is bec, spelled B-E-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Partie saillante, dure et cornée, formée de deux parties appelées mandibules, utilisé par les oiseaux pour attraper et consommer leur nourriture. Suivant les espèces, les becs présentent différentes formes et caractéristiques adaptées à leur mode de nourriture (bec court, long, plat, large, pointu, spatulé, crochu…).
  2. 2
    Pour d’autres races d’animaux lorsque leur bouche présente quelque ressemblance avec le bec d’un oiseau.
  3. 3
    Bec de gaz, appareil destiné à produire de la lumière ou de la chaleur grâce à une flamme obtenue en brûlant du gaz
  4. 4
    Prolongement plus ou moins étroit d’un fruit.
  5. 5
    Partie pointue d’un outil.
  6. 6
    Bec verseur.
  7. 7
    Tube rigide en métal pivotant ou fixe dirigeant le jet au dessus d’une vasque ou d’une baignoire.
  8. 8
    Système d’embouchure de la clarinette, de la flûte, du hautbois, du galoubet, etc.
  9. 9
    Partie de terre qui s’avance en pointe au confluent de deux cours d’eau ou à l’extrémité d’un promontoire maritime.
  10. 10
    Masse de pierre à l’avant d’un ouvrage appelée aussi avant-bec.
  11. 11
    Faux pli d’un vêtement mal ajusté.
  12. 12
    Pointe qui termine la proue d’un navire.
  13. 13
    Petit baiser donné avec les lèvres seulement, sur la bouche ou sur la joue.
  14. 14
    Bouche.
  15. 15
    Bonbon, appelé aussi bonbec par les enfants.
  16. 16
    Utilisé dans de nombreuses locutions, il désigne notamment certains reptiles, poissons, armes, outils ou pour former certaines expressions et proverbes. (voir liste des dérivés).
  17. 17
    Ellipse de bec-de-cane, poignée basculante d'une serrure.

This word in other languages

beak(English)pico(Español)Schnabel(Deutsch)bico(Português)

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 "bec"?
"bec" is spelled B-E-C. The IPA pronunciation is \bɛk\.
What does "bec" mean?
As a noun, "bec" means: Partie saillante, dure et cornée, formée de deux parties appelées mandibules, utilisé par les oiseaux pour attraper et consommer leur nourriture. Suivant les espèces, les becs présentent différente...
What words are commonly confused with "bec"?
"bec" is commonly confused with "by", "bu", "bi". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bec"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bec" is \bɛk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bec" come from?
"bec" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “bec”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-E-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bɛk\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “by” - see the side-by-side comparison. bec vs by
  • 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