chimère

\ʃi.mɛʁ\

/\ʃi.mɛʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“chimère” has 11 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #25,587. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,587
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Figure imaginaire représentant un animal fabuleux à buste de lion à ventre de chèvre et à queue de serpent.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

chimère vs chimie
71% similar
chimère vs Crimée
43% similar
chimère vs critère
71% similar

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

Key facts for chimère
PropertyValue
Headwordchimère
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʃi.mɛʁ\
Letters7
Frequency rank#25,587
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chimère” 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). chimère lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around chimère (IPA \ʃi.mɛʁ\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,587 among 257,141 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for chimère, with forms such as "cchimère", "chhimère", and "chimere". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "chimie", "Crimée", "critère", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

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 chimère, spelled C-H-I-M-È-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Figure imaginaire représentant un animal fabuleux à buste de lion à ventre de chèvre et à queue de serpent.
  2. 2
    Toute créature composée de parties de différents animaux.
  3. 3
    Sculpture mythique ou grotesque qui orne un bâtiment.
  4. 4
    Individu qui possède deux génotypes différents, provenant de deux zygotes différents ou plus (qui peuvent être d’espèces différentes). À ne pas confondre avec un hybride.
  5. 5
    Organisme greffé composé de tissus de génotypes différents.
  6. 6
    Poisson marin vivant dans les abysses de la sous-classe des holocéphales en classification classique.
  7. 7
    Projet vain, impossible ; utopie.
  8. 8
    Meuble représentant dans les armoiries un être fabuleux à corps de lion et tête et buste de femme. Se blasonne comme la lionne.

Synonyms

utopie

This word in other languages

chimera(English)quimera(Español)Chimäre(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cchimère
  • chhimère
  • chimere
  • chimmère
  • chimrèe
  • chimèer
  • chimèrre
  • chièmre
  • chmière
  • cihmère
  • hcimère

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of chimère - 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.

cchimère1chhimère1chimere1chimmère1chimrèe2chimèer2chimèrre1chièmre2
Edit distance from "chimère"

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 "chimère"?
"chimère" is spelled C-H-I-M-È-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃi.mɛʁ\.
What does "chimère" mean?
As a noun, "chimère" means: Figure imaginaire représentant un animal fabuleux à buste de lion à ventre de chèvre et à queue de serpent.
What words are commonly confused with "chimère"?
"chimère" is commonly confused with "chimie", "Crimée", "critère". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "chimère"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chimère" is \ʃi.mɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chimère" come from?
"chimère" 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 “chimère”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-H-I-M-È-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʃi.mɛʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “chimie” - see the side-by-side comparison. chimère vs chimie
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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