coryphée

\kɔ.ʁi.fe\

/\kɔ.ʁi.fe\/ noun

The verdict

“coryphée” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Chef de chœur dans le théâtre antique ou dans une fête moderne.

Key facts for coryphée
PropertyValue
Headwordcoryphée
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔ.ʁi.fe\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coryphée” sits in French frequency

coryphée falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for coryphée is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔ.ʁi.fe\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for coryphée in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is coryphée, spelled C-O-R-Y-P-H-É-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Chef de chœur dans le théâtre antique ou dans une fête moderne.
  2. 2
    Grade dans le corps de ballet de l’Opéra de Paris entre quadrille (premier grade) et sujet (grade précédant ceux de premier danseur et danseur étoile).
  3. 3
    Personne qui se distingue le plus dans une secte, dans un parti, dans une profession ou qui, dans un groupe, prend la parole pour les autres.

This word in other languages

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 "coryphée"?
"coryphée" is spelled C-O-R-Y-P-H-É-E. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ.ʁi.fe\.
What does "coryphée" mean?
As a noun, "coryphée" means: Chef de chœur dans le théâtre antique ou dans une fête moderne.
How do you pronounce "coryphée"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coryphée" is \kɔ.ʁi.fe\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "coryphée" come from?
"coryphée" 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 “coryphée”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-R-Y-P-H-É-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ.ʁi.fe\ (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
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