copyleft

\kɔ.pi.lɛft\

/\kɔ.pi.lɛft\/ noun

The verdict

“copyleft” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Licence qui permet l'usage, la distribution et la modification, sous condition que les copies et les dérivés soient aussi distribués sous la même licence.

Corpus desk

Index FR-copyleft · copyleft · French

copyleft · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for copyleft
PropertyValue
Headwordcopyleft
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔ.pi.lɛft\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « copyleft » en français

copyleftn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

copyleft is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \kɔ.pi.lɛft\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Licence qui permet l'usage, la distribution et la modification, sous condition que les copies et les dérivés soient aussi distribués sous la même licence.".

copyleft has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is copyleft, spelled C-O-P-Y-L-E-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Licence qui permet l'usage, la distribution et la modification, sous condition que les copies et les dérivés soient aussi distribués sous la même licence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how copyleft appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Le GFDL est un copyleft.
  2. Certains ont été prompts à évoquer un copyleft, voire une gauche d’auteur, par opposition aux traditionnels copyright et droits d’auteur.

Synonyms

gauche d’auteur

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "copyleft"?
"copyleft" is spelled C-O-P-Y-L-E-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ.pi.lɛft\.
What does "copyleft" mean?
As a noun, "copyleft" means: Licence qui permet l'usage, la distribution et la modification, sous condition que les copies et les dérivés soient aussi distribués sous la même licence.
How do you pronounce "copyleft"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "copyleft" is \kɔ.pi.lɛft\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "copyleft" come from?
"copyleft" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list