chaleur

\ʃa.lœʁ\

/\ʃa.lœʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“chaleur” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,165 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,165
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qualité de ce qui est chaud, sensation produite par un corps chaud.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chaleur vs couleur
71% similar
chaleur vs chialer
71% similar
chaleur vs chômeur
71% similar

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

Key facts for chaleur
PropertyValue
Headwordchaleur
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʃa.lœʁ\
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,165
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chaleur” 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). chaleur lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for chaleur is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃa.lœʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,165 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for chaleur, with forms such as "cahleur", "cchaleur", and "chaelur". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "couleur", "chialer", "chômeur", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is chaleur, spelled C-H-A-L-E-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qualité de ce qui est chaud, sensation produite par un corps chaud.
  2. 2
    Sensation de chaud qui ordinairement est incommode.
  3. 3
    Température produite par l’action du soleil, du feu ou de toute autre cause.
  4. 4
    Énergie calorifique.
  5. 5
    Ardeur, feu, véhémence des passions, des sentiments ou de ce qui sert à les manifester.
  6. 6
    Œstrus, état d’une femelle qui souhaite s'accoupler.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cahleur,cchaleur,chaelur,chaleru,chaleurr,challeur,chaluer,chhaleur,chlaeur,hcaleur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chaleur - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cahleur2cchaleur1chaelur2chaleru2chaleurr1challeur1chaluer2chhaleur1
Edit distance from "chaleur"

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 "chaleur"?
"chaleur" is spelled C-H-A-L-E-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃa.lœʁ\.
What does "chaleur" mean?
As a noun, "chaleur" means: Qualité de ce qui est chaud, sensation produite par un corps chaud.
What words are commonly confused with "chaleur"?
"chaleur" is commonly confused with "couleur", "chialer", "chômeur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chaleur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chaleur" is \ʃa.lœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chaleur" come from?
"chaleur" 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 “chaleur”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-H-A-L-E-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʃa.lœʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “couleur” - see the side-by-side comparison. chaleur vs couleur
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list