chalumeau

\ʃa.ly.mo\

/\ʃa.ly.mo\/ noun

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

The verdict

“chalumeau” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #34,926 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#34,926
frequency rank, French
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tuyau de paille, de roseau.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chalumeau vs chameau
78% similar
chalumeau vs Chauveau
67% similar

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

Key facts for chalumeau
PropertyValue
Headwordchalumeau
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʃa.ly.mo\
Letters9
Frequency rank#34,926
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chalumeau” 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). chalumeau 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 chalumeau is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃa.ly.mo\. Corpus data places it at rank #34,926 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for chalumeau, with forms such as "cahlumeau", "cchalumeau", and "challumeau". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "chameau", "Chauveau", 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 is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is chalumeau, spelled C-H-A-L-U-M-E-A-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tuyau de paille, de roseau.
  2. 2
    Paille utilisée pour aspirer un liquide.
  3. 3
    Tuyau utilisé pour souffler des bulles de savon.
  4. 4
    Sorte de flûte champêtre pour attirer les oiseaux.
  5. 5
    Tuyau ou tube en métal ou en verre.
  6. 6
    Tube en or servant à aspirer le contenu d’un calice.
  7. 7
    Dispositif terminé par un tuyau dans lequel est soufflé un gaz combustible produisant de la chaleur. → voir chalumeau oxyacétylénique, découper au chalumeau et chalumeau à plasma
  8. 8
    Tuyau mélodique de certains instruments à vent comme le biniou, la cornemuse, la musette … → voir jouer du chalumeau
  9. 9
    Instrument de musique pastorale qui n’était originairement qu’un roseau percé de plusieurs trous.
  10. 10
    Registre grave de la clarinette.
  11. 11
    Toute sorte de flûtes et d’instrument à vent qui composent une musique champêtre. → voir chalumeau champêtre et enfler ses chalumeaux
  12. 12
    Trachée-artère.

Synonyms

pipeau

This word in other languages

blowtorch(English)soplete(Español)Schalmei(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cahlumeau,cchalumeau,challumeau,chalmueau,chaluemau,chalumaeu,chalumeua,chalummeau,chaulmeau,chhalumeau,chlaumeau,hcalumeau

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cahlumeau2cchalumeau1challumeau1chalmueau2chaluemau2chalumaeu2chalumeua2chalummeau1
Edit distance from "chalumeau"

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 "chalumeau"?
"chalumeau" is spelled C-H-A-L-U-M-E-A-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃa.ly.mo\.
What does "chalumeau" mean?
As a noun, "chalumeau" means: Tuyau de paille, de roseau.
What words are commonly confused with "chalumeau"?
"chalumeau" is commonly confused with "chameau", "Chauveau". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chalumeau"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chalumeau" is \ʃa.ly.mo\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chalumeau" come from?
"chalumeau" 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 “chalumeau”

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

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