chauffeur

\ʃo.fœʁ\

/\ʃo.fœʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“chauffeur” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,217 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,217
frequency rank, French
9
letters
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Celui qui conduit un véhicule à moteur.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chauffeur vs chauffeurs
90% similar
chauffeur vs chauffe
78% similar
chauffeur vs chauffer
89% similar

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

Key facts for chauffeur
PropertyValue
Headwordchauffeur
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʃo.fœʁ\
Letters9
Frequency rank#4,217
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chauffeur” 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). chauffeur 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 chauffeur is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃo.fœʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,217 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 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 chauffeur, with forms such as "cahuffeur", "cchauffeur", and "chafufeur". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "chauffeurs", "chauffe", "chauffer", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is chauffeur, spelled C-H-A-U-F-F-E-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Celui qui conduit un véhicule à moteur.
  2. 2
    Celui qui conduit un véhicule automobile à des fins professionnelles.
  3. 3
    Personne qui chauffe, qui enthousiasme un public, une manifestation, une bande d’émeutiers, etc.
  4. 4
    Personne qui chauffe, qui enthousiasme un public, une manifestation, une bande d’émeutiers, etc.
  5. 5
    Brigand qui brûlait la plante des pieds de ses victimes pour leur faire avouer où ils cachaient leur argent, qui sévissait surtout dans les campagnes à la fin du XVIIIᵉ siècle et au début du XIXᵉ siècle.
  6. 6
    Ouvrier qui était chargé d’entretenir le feu d’une forge, d’une machine à vapeur, d’une automobile à vapeur, etc.
  7. 7
    Appareil utilisé par les coiffeurs pour réaliser une mise en plis ou une permanente.

Synonyms

conducteurconductrice

This word in other languages

driver(English)conductor(Español)Fahrer(Deutsch)motorista(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cahuffeur,cchauffeur,chafufeur,chaufefur,chaufeur,chaufferu,chauffeurr,chauffuer,chhauffeur,chuaffeur,hcauffeur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cahuffeur2cchauffeur1chafufeur2chaufefur2chaufeur1chaufferu2chauffeurr1chauffuer2
Edit distance from "chauffeur"

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 "chauffeur"?
"chauffeur" is spelled C-H-A-U-F-F-E-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃo.fœʁ\.
What does "chauffeur" mean?
As a noun, "chauffeur" means: Celui qui conduit un véhicule à moteur.
What words are commonly confused with "chauffeur"?
"chauffeur" is commonly confused with "chauffeurs", "chauffe", "chauffer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chauffeur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chauffeur" is \ʃo.fœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chauffeur" come from?
"chauffeur" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “chauffeur”

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

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