dunkel

\ˈdʊŋ.kəl\

/\ˈdʊŋ.kəl\/ adj

The verdict

“dunkel” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sombre, foncé, qui est peu éclairé ; qui reçoit peu de lumière ; qui est obscur.

Key facts for dunkel
PropertyValue
Headworddunkel
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈdʊŋ.kəl\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dunkel” sits in French frequency

dunkel 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for dunkel is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈdʊŋ.kəl\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for dunkel, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is dunkel, spelled D-U-N-K-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sombre, foncé, qui est peu éclairé ; qui reçoit peu de lumière ; qui est obscur.
  2. 2
    Sombre, qui est moins éclatant, qui est plus foncé que les autres, en parlant d’une teinte, d’une couleur.
  3. 3
    Grave, qui est de fréquence basse, en parlant d’un son.
  4. 4
    Obscur, qui n’est pas clair ; qui est inintelligible ; qui ne se fait pas comprendre ou se fait difficilement comprendre.
  5. 5
    Sombre, qui est inquiétant ou menaçant.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 "dunkel"?
"dunkel" is spelled D-U-N-K-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈdʊŋ.kəl\.
What does "dunkel" mean?
As an adjective, "dunkel" means: Sombre, foncé, qui est peu éclairé ; qui reçoit peu de lumière ; qui est obscur.
How do you pronounce "dunkel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dunkel" is \ˈdʊŋ.kəl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dunkel" come from?
"dunkel" 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.

Using “dunkel”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-U-N-K-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈdʊŋ.kəl\ (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