docile
\dɔ.sil\
The verdict
“docile” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #24,939 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #24,939
- frequency rank, French
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 13
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui a de la disposition à se laisser conduire et diriger. Qui obéit facilement. Caractère docile.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | docile |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | \dɔ.sil\ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #24,939 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 13 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “docile” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for docile is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \dɔ.sil\. Corpus data places it at rank #24,939 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 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 docile, with forms such as "dcoile", "ddocile", and "doccile". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "Dole", "doive", "double", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is docile, spelled D-O-C-I-L-E.
Definition
- 1Qui a de la disposition à se laisser conduire et diriger. Qui obéit facilement. Caractère docile.
- 2Qui a de la disposition à céder, à obéir.
- 3(a priori hors d'un champ de domination et de servitude) Qui se laisse instruire et éduquer. Un bon élève est par définition docile.
- 4Se dit aussi, des animaux domestiques dressés ou élevés, et ainsi préparés à des tâches spécifiques. L'adjectif s'applique même à des choses, par exemple à des matières qui se prêtent à un travail de transformation, qui obéissent à une mise en forme.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: dcoile,ddocile,doccile,dociel,docille,doclie,doicle,odcile
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of docile - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "docile"?
What does "docile" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "docile"?
How do you pronounce "docile"?
What language does "docile" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “docile”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is D-O-C-I-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \dɔ.sil\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Dole” - see the side-by-side comparison. docile vs Dole
- 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.