Congo

\kɔ̃.ɡo\

/\kɔ̃.ɡo\/ name

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

The verdict

“Congo” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,221 in French word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#4,221
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Royaume africain, XIIᵉ-XVᵉ siècle jusqu’au XIXᵉ siècle.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Congo vs cons
40% similar
Congo vs cont
40% similar
Congo vs connu
40% similar

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

Key facts for Congo
PropertyValue
HeadwordCongo
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\kɔ̃.ɡo\
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,221
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Congo” 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). Congo 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 Congo is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔ̃.ɡo\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,221 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Congo, with forms such as "ccongo", "cnogo", and "cogno". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cons", "cont", "connu", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is Congo, spelled C-O-N-G-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Royaume africain, XIIᵉ-XVᵉ siècle jusqu’au XIXᵉ siècle.
  2. 2
    Grand fleuve du centre de l’Afrique, qui se jette dans l’Atlantique Sud.
  3. 3
    Pays africain bordé par le Cameroun et la République centrafricaine au nord, la République démocratique du Congo à l’est et au sud, l’enclave angolaise de Cabinda au sud, l’Atlantique Sud et le Gabon à l’ouest. Sa capitale est Brazzaville.
  4. 4
    Grand pays africain bordé par la République centrafricaine et le Soudan au nord, l’Ouganda, le Rwanda, le Burundi et la Tanzanie à l’est, la Zambie au sud-est, l’Angola au sud-ouest, l’Atlantique Sud et la République du Congo à l’ouest. Sa capitale est Kinshasa.

Synonyms

Zaïre

This word in other languages

Congo(English)Congo(Español)Kongo(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccongo,cnogo,cogno,conggo,conngo,conog,ocngo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Congo - 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.

ccongo1cnogo2cogno2conggo1conngo1conog2ocngo2
Edit distance from "Congo"

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 "Congo"?
"Congo" is spelled C-O-N-G-O. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.ɡo\.
What does "Congo" mean?
As a proper noun, "Congo" means: Royaume africain, XIIᵉ-XVᵉ siècle jusqu’au XIXᵉ siècle.
What words are commonly confused with "Congo"?
"Congo" is commonly confused with "cons", "cont", "connu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Congo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Congo" is \kɔ̃.ɡo\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Congo" come from?
"Congo" 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 “Congo”

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

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