écailleux

\e.ka.jø\

/\e.ka.jø\/ adj

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Qui a des écailles.

Corpus desk

Index FR-ecailleux · écailleux · French

écailleux · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "É" 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 écailleux
PropertyValue
Headwordécailleux
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\e.ka.jø\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « écailleux » en français

écailleuxsiège 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

écailleux is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \e.ka.jø\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for écailleux in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

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 écailleux, spelled É-C-A-I-L-L-E-U-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui a des écailles.
  2. 2
    Susceptible de se détacher par écailles.
  3. 3
    Qui présente des plaques minces.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Avec Picasnon-le-Puant, c'était tôt fait de lever la bonde des étangs qu'il prenait à ferme et, pataugeant dans la vase clappante, dans le dernier filet d'eau bourbeuse où grouillait le peuple écailleux, de rafler tout dans leurs aveiniaux, de remplir les corbeilles d'osier, de les charger sur un charreton et , —[…]— d'aller tout vendre de porte en porte,…
  2. Le diaspore, de structure analogue (l'aluminium remplaçant le fer), se présente en cristaux lamellaires parfaitement clivables (parfois taillés pour la bijouterie, malgré leur fragilité) donnant des lamelles flexibles, et en agrégats écailleux.

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 "écailleux"?
"écailleux" is spelled É-C-A-I-L-L-E-U-X. The IPA pronunciation is \e.ka.jø\.
What does "écailleux" mean?
As an adjective, "écailleux" means: Qui a des écailles.
How do you pronounce "écailleux"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "écailleux" is \e.ka.jø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "écailleux" come from?
"écailleux" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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