dreadlock

\dʁɛd.lɔk\

/\dʁɛd.lɔk\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Mèche de cheveux emmêlées naturellement.

Key facts for dreadlock
PropertyValue
Headworddreadlock
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\dʁɛd.lɔk\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dreadlock” sits in French frequency

dreadlock 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.

Rare enough to double-check

dreadlock is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \dʁɛd.lɔk\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Mèche de cheveux emmêlées naturellement.".

Zero misspellings are on record for dreadlock in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No borrowing history is documented 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 dreadlock, spelled D-R-E-A-D-L-O-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mèche de cheveux emmêlées naturellement.

Synonyms

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 "dreadlock"?
"dreadlock" is spelled D-R-E-A-D-L-O-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is \dʁɛd.lɔk\.
What does "dreadlock" mean?
As a noun, "dreadlock" means: Mèche de cheveux emmêlées naturellement.
How do you pronounce "dreadlock"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dreadlock" is \dʁɛd.lɔk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dreadlock" come from?
"dreadlock" 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 “dreadlock”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-R-E-A-D-L-O-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \dʁɛd.lɔk\ (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