duc

\dyk\

/\dyk\/ noun

The verdict

“duc” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,118 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,118
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Titre qui était le plus élevé parmi l’ancienne noblesse de France et de quelques autres États.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

duc vs DV
0% similar
duc vs dy
33% similar
duc vs dz
33% similar

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

Key facts for duc
PropertyValue
Headwordduc
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\dyk\
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,118
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “duc” 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). duc 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 duc is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \dyk\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,118 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for duc in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "DV", "dy", "dz", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is duc, spelled D-U-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Titre qui était le plus élevé parmi l’ancienne noblesse de France et de quelques autres États.
  2. 2
    Titre de quelques princes souverains.
  3. 3
    Voiture hippomobile de luxe ressemblant, mais en plus grand à une victoria, avec seulement deux places. À l'avant et à l'arrière des places assises il y a un banc pour la domesticité.
  4. 4
    Nom donné à plusieurs espèces d’oiseaux nocturnes de la famille des strigidés.

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); 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 "duc"?
"duc" is spelled D-U-C. The IPA pronunciation is \dyk\.
What does "duc" mean?
As a noun, "duc" means: Titre qui était le plus élevé parmi l’ancienne noblesse de France et de quelques autres États.
What words are commonly confused with "duc"?
"duc" is commonly confused with "DV", "dy", "dz". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "duc"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "duc" is \dyk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "duc" come from?
"duc" 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 “duc”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-U-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \dyk\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “DV” - see the side-by-side comparison. duc vs DV
  • 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