échelle

Name: échelle, French Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

\e.ʃɛl\

/\e.ʃɛl\/ noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“échelle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #1,940. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,940
frequency rank, French: 40,273
“É” headwords: 9
tracked misspellings: 5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Dispositif permettant de monter et descendre, généralement composé de deux montants de bois ou de métal munis de barreaux disposés à intervalles réguliers.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

échelle vs échelon

71% similar

échelle vs Estelle

57% similar

échelle vs excelle

57% similar

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

Key facts for échelle
Property	Value
Headword	échelle
Language	French
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	\e.ʃɛl\
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#1,940
Misspellings tracked	9
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “échelle” 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). échelle lands here:

#1,940

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around échelle (IPA \e.ʃɛl\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,940 among 40,273 “É” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for échelle, with forms such as "céhelle", "echelle", and "écchelle". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "échelon", "Estelle", "excelle", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is échelle, spelled É-C-H-E-L-L-E.

Definition

1
Dispositif permettant de monter et descendre, généralement composé de deux montants de bois ou de métal munis de barreaux disposés à intervalles réguliers.
2
Dispositif permettant de monter et descendre, généralement composé de deux montants de bois ou de métal munis de barreaux disposés à intervalles réguliers.
3
Ensemble d’éléments disposés comme les barreaux d’une échelle, en particulier dans les domaines de la couture et de la dentelle.
4
Proportion de taille entre la représentation d’une chose et la chose représentée.
5
Échelonnement ou graduation utilisés pour mesurer une grandeur.
6
Escale, port où il est possible d’embarquer et de débarquer des marchandises.
7
Niveau, grandeur, proportion.
8
Niveau, grandeur, proportion.
9
Niveau, grandeur, proportion.
10
Dans les jeux de guerre, désigne l’ampleur du conflit simulé.
11
Discipline acrobatique du cirque.

This word in other languages

ladder(English)escalera(Español)Leiter(Deutsch)escada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

céhelle
echelle
écchelle
écehlle
échele
échelel
échhelle
échlele
éhcelle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of échelle - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "échelle"

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 "échelle"?

"échelle" is spelled É-C-H-E-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \e.ʃɛl\.

What does "échelle" mean?

As a noun, "échelle" means: Dispositif permettant de monter et descendre, généralement composé de deux montants de bois ou de métal munis de barreaux disposés à intervalles réguliers.

What words are commonly confused with "échelle"?

"échelle" is commonly confused with "échelon", "Estelle", "excelle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "échelle"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "échelle" is \e.ʃɛl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "échelle" come from?

"échelle" 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.

Using “échelle”

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

The one correct French spelling is É-C-H-E-L-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as \e.ʃɛl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “échelon” - see the side-by-side comparison. échelle vs échelon
Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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.