code pénal

\kɔd pe.nal\

/\kɔd pe.nal\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ensemble des textes législatifs et réglementaires d’un pays, d’un État, d’une nation ou d’un peuple qui traitent des crimes et des délits, et des peines infligées.

Key facts for code pénal
PropertyValue
Headwordcode pénal
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔd pe.nal\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “code pénal” sits in French frequency

code pénal falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

code pénal is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \kɔd pe.nal\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Ensemble des textes législatifs et réglementaires d’un pays, d’un État, d’une nation ou d’un peuple qui traitent des crimes et des délits, et des peines infligées.".

code pénal doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is code pénal, spelled C-O-D-E- -P-É-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ensemble des textes législatifs et réglementaires d’un pays, d’un État, d’une nation ou d’un peuple qui traitent des crimes et des délits, et des peines infligées.

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 "code pénal"?
"code pénal" is spelled C-O-D-E- -P-É-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔd pe.nal\.
What does "code pénal" mean?
As a noun, "code pénal" means: Ensemble des textes législatifs et réglementaires d’un pays, d’un État, d’une nation ou d’un peuple qui traitent des crimes et des délits, et des peines infligées.
How do you pronounce "code pénal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "code pénal" is \kɔd pe.nal\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "code pénal" come from?
"code pénal" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “code pénal”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-D-E- -P-É-N-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔd pe.nal\ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list