doppelgänger

\do.pɛl.ɡɑ̃.ɡœʁ\

/\do.pɛl.ɡɑ̃.ɡœʁ\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Double maléfique, créature surnaturelle issue du folklore germanique.

Corpus desk

Index FR-doppelganger · doppelgänger · French

doppelgänger · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" 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 doppelgänger
PropertyValue
Headworddoppelgänger
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\do.pɛl.ɡɑ̃.ɡœʁ\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « doppelgänger » en français

doppelgängersiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

doppelgänger is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \do.pɛl.ɡɑ̃.ɡœʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Double maléfique, créature surnaturelle issue du folklore germanique.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for doppelgänger in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is doppelgänger, spelled D-O-P-P-E-L-G-Ä-N-G-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Double maléfique, créature surnaturelle issue du folklore germanique.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Voir un doppelgänger n’est jamais une bonne chose. Pour le décrire, on utilise notamment le terme de « jumeau maléfique ». Pourquoi « maléfique » ? Parce qu’il serait porteur de mauvais présages.

Synonyms

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 "doppelgänger"?
"doppelgänger" is spelled D-O-P-P-E-L-G-Ä-N-G-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \do.pɛl.ɡɑ̃.ɡœʁ\.
What does "doppelgänger" mean?
As a noun, "doppelgänger" means: Double maléfique, créature surnaturelle issue du folklore germanique.
How do you pronounce "doppelgänger"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "doppelgänger" is \do.pɛl.ɡɑ̃.ɡœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "doppelgänger" come from?
"doppelgänger" 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