cadran

\ka.dʁɑ̃\

/\ka.dʁɑ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“cadran” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #17,891 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,891
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Surface sur laquelle sont tracés les chiffres des heures et où la marche du temps est indiquée soit par l’ombre d’un style, soit par une aiguille que meuvent des ressorts intérieurs.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cadran vs cran
67% similar
cadran vs cara
67% similar
cadran vs cadre
67% similar

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

Key facts for cadran
PropertyValue
Headwordcadran
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ka.dʁɑ̃\
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,891
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cadran” 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). cadran 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 cadran is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ka.dʁɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #17,891 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for cadran, with forms such as "acdran", "cadarn", and "caddran". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "cran", "cara", "cadre", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is cadran, spelled C-A-D-R-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Surface sur laquelle sont tracés les chiffres des heures et où la marche du temps est indiquée soit par l’ombre d’un style, soit par une aiguille que meuvent des ressorts intérieurs.
  2. 2
    Cadran solaire.
  3. 3
    Série des fentes rayonnant du centre à la circonférence du tronc d’un vieil arbre.
  4. 4
    Surface où sont tracées les graduations d’un instrument de mesure à aiguille quelconque.
  5. 5
    Dispositif électromécanique rotatif, abandonné depuis les années 1980-1990, qui permettait d'émettre vers l'autocommutateur le numéro du téléphone appelé
  6. 6
    Nom de l'écran devant lequel se font certaines ventes aux enchères, portant notamment sur les productions agricoles. — (Marché au cadran, Wikipédia → lire en ligne)
  7. 7
    Réveille-matin.

This word in other languages

dial(English)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acdran,cadarn,caddran,cadrann,cadrna,cadrran,cardan,ccadran,cdaran

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cadran - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

acdran2cadarn2caddran1cadrann1cadrna2cadrran1cardan2ccadran1
Edit distance from "cadran"

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 "cadran"?
"cadran" is spelled C-A-D-R-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ka.dʁɑ̃\.
What does "cadran" mean?
As a noun, "cadran" means: Surface sur laquelle sont tracés les chiffres des heures et où la marche du temps est indiquée soit par l’ombre d’un style, soit par une aiguille que meuvent des ressorts intérieurs.
What words are commonly confused with "cadran"?
"cadran" is commonly confused with "cran", "cara", "cadre". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cadran"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cadran" is \ka.dʁɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cadran" come from?
"cadran" 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 “cadran”

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

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