comma

\kɔ.ma\

/\kɔ.ma\/ noun

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

The verdict

“comma” is uncommon French (frequency #61,410 among 257,141 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,410
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Faible quantité qui s’exprime par une fraction arithmétique, généralement rationnelle, dont la valeur est relativement proche de l’unité.

Key facts for comma
PropertyValue
Headwordcomma
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔ.ma\
Letters5
Frequency rank#61,410
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “comma” 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). comma 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

comma is uncommon French at frequency #61,410 among 257,141 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \kɔ.ma\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for comma in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is comma, spelled C-O-M-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Faible quantité qui s’exprime par une fraction arithmétique, généralement rationnelle, dont la valeur est relativement proche de l’unité.
  2. 2
    Huitième ou neuvième partie d’un ton, à peu près la moitié d’un quart de ton.
  3. 3
    Ancien nom du deux-points.
  4. 4
    Papillon de jour de la famille des hespéridés (Hesperiidae), dont le dos les ailes sont de couleur brun-orange avec des points blancs nombreux sous les postérieures.

Synonyms

virgule

This word in other languages

comma(English)coma(Español)Komma(Deutsch)

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 "comma"?
"comma" is spelled C-O-M-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ.ma\.
What does "comma" mean?
As a noun, "comma" means: Faible quantité qui s’exprime par une fraction arithmétique, généralement rationnelle, dont la valeur est relativement proche de l’unité.
How do you pronounce "comma"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "comma" is \kɔ.ma\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "comma" come from?
"comma" 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.

Using “comma”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-M-M-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ.ma\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list