compact

\kɔ̃.pakt\

/\kɔ̃.pakt\/ adj

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

The verdict

“compact” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #13,754 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#13,754
frequency rank, French
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Condensé, resserré.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

compact vs contact
71% similar
compact vs complet
71% similar
compact vs complot
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for compact
PropertyValue
Headwordcompact
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\kɔ̃.pakt\
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,754
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “compact” 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). compact lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for compact is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔ̃.pakt\. Corpus data places it at rank #13,754 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for compact, with forms such as "ccompact", "cmopact", and "comapct". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "contact", "complet", "complot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is compact, spelled C-O-M-P-A-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Condensé, resserré.
  2. 2
    Pressé, étroitement uni.
  3. 3
    Massif.
  4. 4
    Dont le texte imprimé est très serré, en parlant d’un livre.
  5. 5
    Dont chaque volume renferme la matière de plusieurs volumes des éditions ordinaires, en parlant d’une édition.
  6. 6
    Qualifie un espace topologique séparé pour lequel de tout recouvrement par des ouverts peut être extrait un sous-recouvrement fini (propriété de Borel-Lebesgue).

This word in other languages

compact(English)compacto(Español)kompakt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccompact,cmopact,comapct,commpact,compacct,compactt,compatc,compcat,comppact,copmact,ocmpact

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of compact - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccompact1cmopact2comapct2commpact1compacct1compactt1compatc2compcat2
Edit distance from "compact"

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 "compact"?
"compact" is spelled C-O-M-P-A-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.pakt\.
What does "compact" mean?
As an adjective, "compact" means: Condensé, resserré.
What words are commonly confused with "compact"?
"compact" is commonly confused with "contact", "complet", "complot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "compact"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "compact" is \kɔ̃.pakt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "compact" come from?
"compact" 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 “compact”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-M-P-A-C-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ̃.pakt\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “contact” - see the side-by-side comparison. compact vs contact
  • 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