clef
French, noun/kle/
clef is spelled C-L-E-F (4 letters) and appears 11 times per million words in written French, the 6,071st most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Clef is a French feminine noun meaning “alternative spelling of clé (“key”)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “Variante orthographique de clé”.
What does clef mean in English?
noun
- 1
femininealternative spelling of clé (“key”)
- 2
feminineclef
- 3
femininekey; the device as shown on a coat of arms
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
noun: 1. Variante orthographique de clé.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of clef
- clefs plural
- clé alternative common
- cleph alternative humorous
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce clef?
- /kle/
- \kle\
- [kle]
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to clef
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is clef in French?
clef appears 11 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).