contrôler

\kɔ̃.tʁo.le\

/\kɔ̃.tʁo.le\/ verb

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

The verdict

“contrôler” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,991 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#2,991
frequency rank, French
9
letters
15
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vérifier la conformité, la régularité ou l'exactitude.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

contrôler vs contrôles
89% similar
contrôler vs contrôlez
89% similar
contrôler vs contrôleur
90% similar

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

Key facts for contrôler
PropertyValue
Headwordcontrôler
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\kɔ̃.tʁo.le\
Letters9
Frequency rank#2,991
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “contrôler” 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). contrôler 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 contrôler is 9 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔ̃.tʁo.le\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,991 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for contrôler, with forms such as "ccontrôler", "cnotrôler", and "conntrôler". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "contrôles", "contrôlez", "contrôleur", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, 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 contrôler, spelled C-O-N-T-R-Ô-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vérifier la conformité, la régularité ou l'exactitude.
  2. 2
    Examiner avec une curiosité importune.
  3. 3
    Vérifier l’identité ou la situation d’une personne au regard des règles en vigueur.
  4. 4
    Apposer une marque attestant le titre ou la conformité.
  5. 5
    Surveiller afin de s’assurer du respect d’une règle ou d’une consigne.
  6. 6
    Diriger, dominer d’une façon précise.
  7. 7
    Maîtriser.
  8. 8
    Aux échecs ou dans des jeux de la même famille, pour une pièce, pouvoir prendre une pièce adverse qui viendrait sur une case.

This word in other languages

check(English)controlar(Español)prüfen(Deutsch)revisar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccontrôler,cnotrôler,conntrôler,conrtôler,contrlôer,controler,contrrôler,contrôelr,contrôlerr,contrôller,contrôlre,conttrôler,contôrler,cotnrôler,ocntrôler

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contrôler - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccontrôler1cnotrôler2conntrôler1conrtôler2contrlôer2controler1contrrôler1contrôelr2
Edit distance from "contrôler"

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 "contrôler"?
"contrôler" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-Ô-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.tʁo.le\.
What does "contrôler" mean?
As a verb, "contrôler" means: Vérifier la conformité, la régularité ou l'exactitude.
What words are commonly confused with "contrôler"?
"contrôler" is commonly confused with "contrôles", "contrôlez", "contrôleur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contrôler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contrôler" is \kɔ̃.tʁo.le\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "contrôler" come from?
"contrôler" 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 “contrôler”

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

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