caillou

\ka.ju\

/\ka.ju\/ noun

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

The verdict

“caillou” has 7 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #16,314. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,314
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pierre de petite (ou moyenne) dimension.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

caillou vs cailloux
88% similar
caillou vs carillon
75% similar
caillou vs Chaillot
63% similar

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

Key facts for caillou
PropertyValue
Headwordcaillou
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ka.ju\
Letters7
Frequency rank#16,314
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “caillou” 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). caillou lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around caillou (IPA \ka.ju\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,314 among 257,141 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for caillou, with forms such as "acillou", "cailluo", and "cailolu". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "cailloux", "carillon", "Chaillot", 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 spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is caillou, spelled C-A-I-L-L-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pierre de petite (ou moyenne) dimension.
  2. 2
    Pierre précieuse, cristal de roche, diamant.
  3. 3
    Récif, rocher.
  4. 4
    Tête, crâne.
  5. 5
    Glaçon.
  6. 6
    Personne têtue, tête dure.
  7. 7
    Morceau de sucre.
  8. 8
    Huître.
  9. 9
    Objectif, en référence à la matière minérale du verre ou la manière dont les lentilles sont enchâssées dans le fût en métal comme une pierre précieuse l'est sur une bague.
  10. 10
    Nouvelle-Calédonie.
  11. 11
    Île peu peuplée, avec peu d’activité, présentant peu d’intérêt.
  12. 12
    Corps céleste (planète, lune, astéroïde) d’apparence rocheuse et inhospitalière.

This word in other languages

stone(English)piedra(Español)Stein(Deutsch)calhau(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acillou
  • cailluo
  • cailolu
  • cailou
  • calilou
  • ccaillou
  • ciallou

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of caillou - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acillou2cailluo2cailolu2cailou1calilou2ccaillou1ciallou2
Edit distance from "caillou"

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 "caillou"?
"caillou" is spelled C-A-I-L-L-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ka.ju\.
What does "caillou" mean?
As a noun, "caillou" means: Pierre de petite (ou moyenne) dimension.
What words are commonly confused with "caillou"?
"caillou" is commonly confused with "cailloux", "carillon", "Chaillot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caillou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caillou" is \ka.ju\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "caillou" come from?
"caillou" 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 “caillou”

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

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

Same frequency band

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