cheftaine
\ʃɛf.tɛn\
The verdict
“cheftaine” 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
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Jeune femme responsable d’une troupe de jeunes scouts.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cheftaine |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \ʃɛf.tɛn\ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cheftaine” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for cheftaine is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʃɛf.tɛn\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for cheftaine in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is cheftaine, spelled C-H-E-F-T-A-I-N-E.
Definition
- 1Jeune femme responsable d’une troupe de jeunes scouts.
- 2Celle qui est à la tête d’un corps, d’une assemblée, etc., qui y a le premier rang et la principale autorité.
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 “cheftaine”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is C-H-E-F-T-A-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \ʃɛf.tɛn\ (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.