embargo
\ɑ̃.baʁ.ɡo\
The verdict
“embargo” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #19,532 in French word frequency and used as a noun.
- #19,532
- frequency rank, French
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Défense faite aux navires qui sont dans un port ou sur une rade d’en sortir sans permission.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | embargo |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \ɑ̃.baʁ.ɡo\ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #19,532 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “embargo” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for embargo is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɑ̃.baʁ.ɡo\. Corpus data places it at rank #19,532 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for embargo, with forms such as "ebmargo", "emabrgo", and "embagro". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is embargo, spelled E-M-B-A-R-G-O.
Definition
- 1Défense faite aux navires qui sont dans un port ou sur une rade d’en sortir sans permission.
- 2Toute mesure tendant à empêcher la circulation d’un objet.
- 3Délai avant de diffuser une information, programme, oeuvre littéraire ou travail de recherche.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ebmargo,emabrgo,embagro,embarggo,embarog,embarrgo,embbargo,embrago,emmbargo,mebargo
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of embargo - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “embargo”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is E-M-B-A-R-G-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \ɑ̃.baʁ.ɡo\ (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.