crayon

\kʁɛ.jɔ̃\

/\kʁɛ.jɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“crayon” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #8,833 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,833
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Morceau de bois cylindrique fin contenant une mine en son centre, taillé afin d’obtenir une pointe à l’extrémité et qui permet de dessiner, colorier ou écrire avec la main.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

crayon vs croyons
71% similar
crayon vs crayons
86% similar
crayon vs cran
67% similar

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

Key facts for crayon
PropertyValue
Headwordcrayon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kʁɛ.jɔ̃\
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,833
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “crayon” 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). crayon 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 crayon is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kʁɛ.jɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #8,833 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for crayon, with forms such as "caryon", "ccrayon", and "craoyn". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "croyons", "crayons", "cran", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

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 crayon, spelled C-R-A-Y-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Morceau de bois cylindrique fin contenant une mine en son centre, taillé afin d’obtenir une pointe à l’extrémité et qui permet de dessiner, colorier ou écrire avec la main.
  2. 2
    Mine ou toute autre matière colorée propre à dessiner (sans sa gangue de bois).
  3. 3
    Petite barre de produit cosmétique ou pharmaceutique solide.
  4. 4
    Marne argileuse et sablonneuse.
  5. 5
    Tube de faible diamètre, fermé à ses deux extrémités, constituant du cœur d’un réacteur nucléaire quand il contient une matière fissile, fertile ou absorbante.
  6. 6
    Manière de dessiner ou manière dont une chose est dessinée.
  7. 7
    Tout dessin fait au crayon.
  8. 8
    Portrait.
  9. 9
    Esquisse, ébauche d’un tableau.
  10. 10
    Premier jet d'une idée.
  11. 11
    Jambe.
  12. 12
    (au pluriel) Main.
  13. 13
    Nom donné, par analogie d'aspect, à une forme galénique, généralement d'antibiotique, destinée à être insérée dans une plaie ou dans un tissu lors d'une opération chirurgicale.
  14. 14
    Crédit.
  15. 15
    Autres formes de crayons: Stylobille, feutres, etc.

Synonyms

stylo

This word in other languages

pencil(English)lápiz(Español)Stift(Deutsch)lápis(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: caryon,ccrayon,craoyn,crayno,crayonn,crayyon,crrayon,cryaon,rcayon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

caryon2ccrayon1craoyn2crayno2crayonn1crayyon1crrayon1cryaon2
Edit distance from "crayon"

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 "crayon"?
"crayon" is spelled C-R-A-Y-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \kʁɛ.jɔ̃\.
What does "crayon" mean?
As a noun, "crayon" means: Morceau de bois cylindrique fin contenant une mine en son centre, taillé afin d’obtenir une pointe à l’extrémité et qui permet de dessiner, colorier ou écrire avec la main.
What words are commonly confused with "crayon"?
"crayon" is commonly confused with "croyons", "crayons", "cran". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "crayon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "crayon" is \kʁɛ.jɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "crayon" come from?
"crayon" 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 “crayon”

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

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