chef de file
\ʃɛf də fil\
The verdict
“chef de file” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Meneur.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | chef de file |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \ʃɛf də fil\ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “chef de file” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for chef de file is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃɛf də fil\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
chef de file doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is chef de file, spelled C-H-E-F- -D-E- -F-I-L-E.
Definition
- 1Meneur.
- 2Établissement bancaire dirigeant une opération financière, assurant les relations entre une entreprise cliente et les autres banquiers de celle-ci, et agissant vis-à-vis des tiers.
- 3Entreprise à l'avant-garde dans son domaine.
- 4Tête de série.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “chef de file”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is C-H-E-F- -D-E- -F-I-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \ʃɛf də fil\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.