caractère

\ka.ʁak.tɛʁ\

/\ka.ʁak.tɛʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“caractère” has 14 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #1,320. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,320
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Empreinte, marque, figure tracée sur une surface quelconque avec une plume, un burin, un ciseau ou de toute autre manière, et à laquelle on attribue une signification.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

caractère vs cratère
78% similar
caractère vs character
67% similar
caractère vs caractères
90% similar

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

Key facts for caractère
PropertyValue
Headwordcaractère
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ka.ʁak.tɛʁ\
Letters9
Frequency rank#1,320
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “caractère” 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). caractère 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 14 spelling variants around caractère (IPA \ka.ʁak.tɛʁ\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,320 among 257,141 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 16 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for caractère, with forms such as "acractère", "caarctère", and "caracctère". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "cratère", "character", "caractères", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is caractère, spelled C-A-R-A-C-T-È-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Empreinte, marque, figure tracée sur une surface quelconque avec une plume, un burin, un ciseau ou de toute autre manière, et à laquelle on attribue une signification.
  2. 2
    Type dont se servaient les imprimeurs.
  3. 3
    Ensemble des types d’une même famille.
  4. 4
    Donnée qui représente un élément de texte selon un système de codage.
  5. 5
    Type de donnée existant dans certains langages de programmation, représentant un caractère.
  6. 6
    Signe, abréviation utilisé dans une science, dans un art.
  7. 7
    Signe dont les chimistes se servent pour représenter en abrégé les substances qu’ils emploient dans leurs opérations.
  8. 8
    Mission, autorité, pouvoir pour faire ou dire quelque chose.
  9. 9
    Ce qui distingue une personne des autres à l’égard des mœurs, de l’âme.
  10. 10
    Tour d’esprit, qualité bonne ou mauvaise qui distingue un peuple des autres.
  11. 11
    Force d’âme, fermeté.
  12. 12
    Expression, air expressif, personnel, original, en parlant surtout des figures peintes ou sculptées.
  13. 13
    Expression musicale.
  14. 14
    Ce qui est le propre d’une chose ; ce qui la distingue.
  15. 15
    Marque essentielle qui distingue une substance, une plante, un animal de tout autre.
  16. 16
    Propriété servant à distinguer les individus d'une étude statistique.

Synonyms

glyphepersonnalitétempéramentmentalitéparticularitécaractéristique

This word in other languages

character(English)carácter(Español)Schriftzeichen(Deutsch)caráter(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acractère
  • caarctère
  • caracctère
  • caractere
  • caractrèe
  • caracttère
  • caractèer
  • caractèrre
  • caracètre
  • caratcère
  • carcatère
  • carractère
  • ccaractère
  • craactère

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acractère2caarctère2caracctère1caractere1caractrèe2caracttère1caractèer2caractèrre1
Edit distance from "caractère"

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 "caractère"?
"caractère" is spelled C-A-R-A-C-T-È-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ka.ʁak.tɛʁ\.
What does "caractère" mean?
As a noun, "caractère" means: Empreinte, marque, figure tracée sur une surface quelconque avec une plume, un burin, un ciseau ou de toute autre manière, et à laquelle on attribue une signification.
What words are commonly confused with "caractère"?
"caractère" is commonly confused with "cratère", "character", "caractères". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caractère"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caractère" is \ka.ʁak.tɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "caractère" come from?
"caractère" 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 “caractère”

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

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