cantilène
\kɑ̃.ti.lɛn\
The verdict
“cantilène” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Phrase musicale d’une mélodie du genre simple.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cantilène |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \kɑ̃.ti.lɛn\ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cantilène” sits in French frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cantilène is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \kɑ̃.ti.lɛn\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cantilène, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is cantilène, spelled C-A-N-T-I-L-È-N-E.
Definition
- 1Phrase musicale d’une mélodie du genre simple.
- 2Chanson monotone.
- 3Morceau de poésie.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “cantilène”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is C-A-N-T-I-L-È-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \kɑ̃.ti.lɛn\ (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
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.