chimérique

\ʃi.me.ʁik\

/\ʃi.me.ʁik\/ adj

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

The verdict

“chimérique” is uncommon French (frequency #56,489 among 257,141 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,489
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui tient de la chimère.

Key facts for chimérique
PropertyValue
Headwordchimérique
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ʃi.me.ʁik\
Letters10
Frequency rank#56,489
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “chimérique” 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). chimérique lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

chimérique is uncommon French at frequency #56,489 among 257,141 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ʃi.me.ʁik\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

chimérique has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is chimérique, spelled C-H-I-M-É-R-I-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui tient de la chimère.
  2. 2
    Qui est obstiné par une chimère, par un projet irréalisable.
  3. 3
    Caractérise le développement d’embryons qui contiendraient des cellules souches humaines et animales.

Synonyms

utopiquevain

This word in other languages

chimerical(English)aéreo(Español)luftig(Deutsch)quimérico(Português)

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 "chimérique"?
"chimérique" is spelled C-H-I-M-É-R-I-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ʃi.me.ʁik\.
What does "chimérique" mean?
As an adjective, "chimérique" means: Qui tient de la chimère.
How do you pronounce "chimérique"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "chimérique" is \ʃi.me.ʁik\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "chimérique" come from?
"chimérique" 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 “chimérique”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-H-I-M-É-R-I-Q-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʃi.me.ʁik\ (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

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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