charbon

\ʃaʁ.bɔ̃\

/\ʃaʁ.bɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“charbon” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,054 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,054
frequency rank, French
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Combustible solide, de couleur noire, d'origine organique et renfermant principalement du carbone.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

charbon vs chaton
71% similar
charbon vs Charon
71% similar
charbon vs chiron
71% similar

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

Key facts for charbon
PropertyValue
Headwordcharbon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʃaʁ.bɔ̃\
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,054
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “charbon” 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). charbon 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 charbon is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃaʁ.bɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,054 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 26 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for charbon, with forms such as "cahrbon", "ccharbon", and "chabron". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "chaton", "Charon", "chiron", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is charbon, spelled C-H-A-R-B-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Combustible solide, de couleur noire, d'origine organique et renfermant principalement du carbone.
  2. 2
    Matière noire combustible.
  3. 3
    Roche carbonée d'origine végétale se répartissant en anthracite, houille, tourbe et lignite.
  4. 4
    Produit de la combustion de substances végétales ou animales.
  5. 5
    Matériau utilisé pour la cuisson ou le chauffage.
  6. 6
    : → voir charbon vert
  7. 7
    Industrie d’extraction du charbon.
  8. 8
    Autres désignations descriptives et d’usage.
  9. 9
    Altération tissulaire d’aspect noirâtre.
  10. 10
    Inflammation gangréneuse due au bacille du charbon, ou Bacillus anthracis.
  11. 11
    Maladie infectieuse évoluant chez les ruminants.
  12. 12
    Anasarque du cheval : voir charbon blanc (1)
  13. 13
    Maladie des plantes due à un champignon basidiomycète provoquant la formation d'une poussière noire.
  14. 14
    Papeton : voir charbon blanc (3)
  15. 15
    Nom vernaculaire de la succise des prés (Succisa pratensis Mœnch) ^([1]).
  16. 16
    voir charbon actif, charbon activé.
  17. 17
    → voir charbon végétal
  18. 18
    Petite marque noire sur les coins du cheval.
  19. 19
    Travail pénible, corvée.
  20. 20
    Résidu noirci par la calcination.
  21. 21
    : Matériau servant à dessiner. → voir fusain
  22. 22
    Noir ou tirant sur le noir.
  23. 23
    Morceau de graphite utilisé comme conducteur.
  24. 24
    Générateur d’arc électrique.
  25. 25
    Pôle d’alimentation du rotor d’un moteur électrique.
  26. 26
    Mélange de tabac et de mélasse sur du charbon ardent.

Synonyms

flameroncarbonelleanthraxfièvre charbonneusemaladie des ardensœdème malinmaladie du charbonsang de rateanasarquebossesoiessoyonsuccise des présfusainbalaichichanarguilébiocharanthracitebouletbriquettegaillettegaïttegrailaperathouilleanthracosecariecarbonclecarbouillecariecharbouillecharbouclecharbucleniellecharbon de boisgraphiteélectrode

Antonyms

farineneige

This word in other languages

coal(English)carbón(Español)Kohle(Deutsch)carvão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cahrbon,ccharbon,chabron,charbbon,charbno,charbonn,charobn,charrbon,chharbon,chrabon,hcarbon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of charbon - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cahrbon2ccharbon1chabron2charbbon1charbno2charbonn1charobn2charrbon1
Edit distance from "charbon"

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 "charbon"?
"charbon" is spelled C-H-A-R-B-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃaʁ.bɔ̃\.
What does "charbon" mean?
As a noun, "charbon" means: Combustible solide, de couleur noire, d'origine organique et renfermant principalement du carbone.
What words are commonly confused with "charbon"?
"charbon" is commonly confused with "chaton", "Charon", "chiron". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "charbon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "charbon" is \ʃaʁ.bɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "charbon" come from?
"charbon" 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 “charbon”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-H-A-R-B-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʃaʁ.bɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “chaton” - see the side-by-side comparison. charbon vs chaton
  • 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