camaïeu

\ka.ma.jø\

/\ka.ma.jø\/ noun

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

The verdict

“camaïeu” is uncommon French (frequency #62,834 among 257,141 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,834
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Camée, pierre fine qui présente deux nuances différentes de la même couleur.

Key facts for camaïeu
PropertyValue
Headwordcamaïeu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ka.ma.jø\
Letters7
Frequency rank#62,834
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “camaïeu” 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). camaïeu lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

camaïeu is uncommon French at frequency #62,834 among 257,141 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \ka.ma.jø\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for camaïeu in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is camaïeu, spelled C-A-M-A-Ï-E-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Camée, pierre fine qui présente deux nuances différentes de la même couleur.
  2. 2
    Peinture ou coloration où l’on n’emploie qu’une couleur avec des nuances différentes.
  3. 3
    Objet peint dans une seule nuance de coloris.
  4. 4
    Scène avec des nuances d'un seul coloris.

Synonyms

grisaillemonochrome

This word in other languages

camaieu(English)camafeo(Español)Camaieu(Deutsch)

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 "camaïeu"?
"camaïeu" is spelled C-A-M-A-Ï-E-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ka.ma.jø\.
What does "camaïeu" mean?
As a noun, "camaïeu" means: Camée, pierre fine qui présente deux nuances différentes de la même couleur.
How do you pronounce "camaïeu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "camaïeu" is \ka.ma.jø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "camaïeu" come from?
"camaïeu" 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 “camaïeu”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-A-M-A-Ï-E-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ka.ma.jø\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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