caméléon

\ka.me.le.ɔ̃\

/\ka.me.le.ɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“caméléon” has 12 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #25,919. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,919
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Reptile insectivore ayant notamment la capacité de changer de couleur (ils constituent les Caméléonidés, Chamaeleonidae).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

caméléon vs Cameron
50% similar
caméléon vs camelot
63% similar

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

Key facts for caméléon
PropertyValue
Headwordcaméléon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ka.me.le.ɔ̃\
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,919
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “caméléon” 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). caméléon 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 12 spelling variants around caméléon (IPA \ka.me.le.ɔ̃\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,919 among 257,141 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for caméléon, with forms such as "acméléon", "cameleon", and "camlééon". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Cameron", "camelot", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is caméléon, spelled C-A-M-É-L-É-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Reptile insectivore ayant notamment la capacité de changer de couleur (ils constituent les Caméléonidés, Chamaeleonidae).
  2. 2
    Personne qui change d’avis, d’humeur et de langage au gré de ses intérêts.
  3. 3
    Désigne des tissus dont la trame et la chaîne sont d'une couleurs différentes.
  4. 4
    Périphrase désignant la société américaine Nvidia, par référence à son logotype.

This word in other languages

chameleon(English)camaleón(Español)Chamäleon(Deutsch)camaleão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acméléon
  • cameleon
  • camlééon
  • camméléon
  • camélléon
  • caméloén
  • caméléno
  • caméléonn
  • caméélon
  • caémléon
  • ccaméléon
  • cmaéléon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of caméléon - 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.

acméléon2cameleon2camlééon2camméléon1camélléon1caméloén2caméléno2caméléonn1
Edit distance from "caméléon"

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 "caméléon"?
"caméléon" is spelled C-A-M-É-L-É-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ka.me.le.ɔ̃\.
What does "caméléon" mean?
As a noun, "caméléon" means: Reptile insectivore ayant notamment la capacité de changer de couleur (ils constituent les Caméléonidés, Chamaeleonidae).
What words are commonly confused with "caméléon"?
"caméléon" is commonly confused with "Cameron", "camelot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caméléon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caméléon" is \ka.me.le.ɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "caméléon" come from?
"caméléon" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “caméléon”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-A-M-É-L-É-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ka.me.le.ɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Cameron” - see the side-by-side comparison. caméléon vs Cameron
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list