circumnavigation

\siʁ.kɔm.na.vi.ɡa.sjɔ̃\

/\siʁ.kɔm.na.vi.ɡa.sjɔ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“circumnavigation” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Navigation autour d’un continent, d’une péninsule.

Corpus desk

Index FR-circumnavigation · circumnavigation · French

circumnavigation · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 16 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for circumnavigation
PropertyValue
Headwordcircumnavigation
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\siʁ.kɔm.na.vi.ɡa.sjɔ̃\
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « circumnavigation » en français

circumnavigationsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

circumnavigation is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \siʁ.kɔm.na.vi.ɡa.sjɔ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

circumnavigation doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is circumnavigation, spelled C-I-R-C-U-M-N-A-V-I-G-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Navigation autour d’un continent, d’une péninsule.
  2. 2
    Action de faire, en naviguant, le tour du globe terrestre.
  3. 3
    Action de faire le tour d’une péninsule, d’un continent, ou de monde à pied ou par un moyen de transport.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how circumnavigation appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Si dix-huit ou vingt siècles et la circumnavigation de l'Afrique et des Indes ont si peu ajouté, en ce genre, à ce que les anciens nous ont appris, il n'y a pas d'apparence que les siècles qui suivront apprennent beaucoup à nos neveux.
  2. Le Valdemar devait pousser son voyage de circumnavigation jusqu'à Seidisfiord, station située sur la côte orientale de l'Islande ; mais comme je caressais toujours l'idée de gagner Reykjavík par terre en franchissant le désert du Stórisandr, le moment était venu de prendre congé du capitaine Kihl et de mes compagnons de traversée.

Synonyms

tour du monde

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

How do you spell "circumnavigation"?
"circumnavigation" is spelled C-I-R-C-U-M-N-A-V-I-G-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \siʁ.kɔm.na.vi.ɡa.sjɔ̃\.
What does "circumnavigation" mean?
As a noun, "circumnavigation" means: Navigation autour d’un continent, d’une péninsule.
How do you pronounce "circumnavigation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "circumnavigation" is \siʁ.kɔm.na.vi.ɡa.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "circumnavigation" come from?
"circumnavigation" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list