compound

\kɔ̃.pund\

/\kɔ̃.pund\/ noun

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

The verdict

“compound” is uncommon French (frequency #64,327 among 257,141 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,327
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Se dit d'une machine ou d’un moteur composé, ou en plusieurs parties.

Key facts for compound
PropertyValue
Headwordcompound
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔ̃.pund\
Letters8
Frequency rank#64,327
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “compound” 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). compound 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

compound is uncommon French at frequency #64,327 among 257,141 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \kɔ̃.pund\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for compound, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is compound, spelled C-O-M-P-O-U-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Se dit d'une machine ou d’un moteur composé, ou en plusieurs parties.
  2. 2
    Produit issu d’un mélange.
  3. 3
    Abrasif destiné au polissage de l’acier.
  4. 4
    Plaque de blindage composée de plusieurs types de matériaux superposés.
  5. 5
    Fil électrique dont l’âme d’acier est recouverte de cuivre.
  6. 6
    Quartier d’habitations sécurisé.

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 "compound"?
"compound" is spelled C-O-M-P-O-U-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.pund\.
What does "compound" mean?
As a noun, "compound" means: Se dit d'une machine ou d’un moteur composé, ou en plusieurs parties.
How do you pronounce "compound"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "compound" is \kɔ̃.pund\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "compound" come from?
"compound" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “compound”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-M-P-O-U-N-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ̃.pund\ (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