diable

\djɑbl\

/\djɑbl\/ noun

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

The verdict

“diable” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,528 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,528
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Créature infernale.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

diable vs dial
67% similar
diable vs diane
67% similar
diable vs double
67% similar

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

Key facts for diable
PropertyValue
Headworddiable
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\djɑbl\
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,528
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “diable” 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). diable 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 diable is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \djɑbl\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,528 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for diable, with forms such as "daible", "ddiable", and "diabble". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "dial", "diane", "double", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is diable, spelled D-I-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Créature infernale.
  2. 2
    Personne très méchante, ou violente, emportée, ou d’une pétulance excessive, d’une turbulence incommode et bruyante.
  3. 3
    Homme. (→ voir pauvre diable)
  4. 4
    Outil de manutention muni de deux roulettes et de deux bras permettant de déplacer de lourds objets.
  5. 5
    Récipient de terre cuite qui permet de cuire sans eau à l’intérieur d’un feu.
  6. 6
    Espèce de charrette à quatre roues fort basses, qui sert au transport de certaines marchandises et qui fait beaucoup de bruit en roulant sur le pavé.
  7. 7
    Nom vernaculaire d’une espèce de cigale.
  8. 8
    Nom vernaculaire de divers oiseaux.
  9. 9
    Nom vernaculaire de quelques poissons telles les baudroies.
  10. 10
    Long manche en bois avec un embout métallique ou en plastique sur lequel repose la flèche d’une queue de billard lorsque la boule est éloignée. Aussi appelé râteau ou baguette râteau.
  11. 11
    Quinzième atout du tarot de Marseille.

This word in other languages

devil(English)diablo(Español)Teufel(Deutsch)diabo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: daible,ddiable,diabble,diabel,diablle,dialbe,dibale,idable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

daible2ddiable1diabble1diabel2diablle1dialbe2dibale2idable2
Edit distance from "diable"

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 "diable"?
"diable" is spelled D-I-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \djɑbl\.
What does "diable" mean?
As a noun, "diable" means: Créature infernale.
What words are commonly confused with "diable"?
"diable" is commonly confused with "dial", "diane", "double". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "diable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "diable" is \djɑbl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "diable" come from?
"diable" 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 “diable”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-I-A-B-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \djɑbl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “dial” - see the side-by-side comparison. diable vs dial
  • 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