fidèle

\fi.dɛl\

/\fi.dɛl\/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“fidèle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #3,138. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,138
frequency rank, French
137,178
“F” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui garde sa foi, à l’égard d’une personne ou d’une idée, qui est constant dans les affections, qui remplit ses devoirs, ses engagements.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fidèle vs file
67% similar
fidèle vs fiel
50% similar
fidèle vs fille
67% similar

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

Key facts for fidèle
PropertyValue
Headwordfidèle
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\fi.dɛl\
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,138
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fidèle” 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). fidèle lands here:

#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 fidèle (IPA \fi.dɛl\), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,138 among 137,178 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for fidèle, with forms such as "fdièle", "ffidèle", and "fiddèle". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "file", "fiel", "fille", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is fidèle, spelled F-I-D-È-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui garde sa foi, à l’égard d’une personne ou d’une idée, qui est constant dans les affections, qui remplit ses devoirs, ses engagements.
  2. 2
    Qui ne s’adonne pas aux amours extra-conjugales.
  3. 3
    Qui ne s’écarte pas de quelque chose ; qui n’y renonce pas.
  4. 4
    Qualifie un employé, un domestique qui a de la probité, de l’attachement pour ceux qu’il sert.
  5. 5
    Qualifie des actes, des sentiments où il y a de la fidélité.
  6. 6
    Qui professe ce qui est considéré comme la vraie religion.
  7. 7
    Qui est exact, qui ne s’écarte pas de la vérité, en parlant des personnes et des choses.
  8. 8
    Qualifie une mémoire qui retient bien et avec exactitude ; ou le souvenir exact que l’on a d’une chose.
  9. 9
    Qualifie une balance, un appareil de mesure, qui donne une mesure semblable de quantités égales.
  10. 10
    Qui ne fait pas défaut.

Antonyms

infidèle

This word in other languages

loyal(English)fiel(Español)treu(Deutsch)leal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fdièle
  • ffidèle
  • fiddèle
  • fidele
  • fidlèe
  • fidèel
  • fidèlle
  • fièdle
  • ifdèle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fdièle2ffidèle1fiddèle1fidele1fidlèe2fidèel2fidèlle1fièdle2
Edit distance from "fidèle"

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 "fidèle"?
"fidèle" is spelled F-I-D-È-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \fi.dɛl\.
What does "fidèle" mean?
As an adjective, "fidèle" means: Qui garde sa foi, à l’égard d’une personne ou d’une idée, qui est constant dans les affections, qui remplit ses devoirs, ses engagements.
What words are commonly confused with "fidèle"?
"fidèle" is commonly confused with "file", "fiel", "fille". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fidèle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fidèle" is \fi.dɛl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fidèle" come from?
"fidèle" 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 “fidèle”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is F-I-D-È-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \fi.dɛl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “file” - see the side-by-side comparison. fidèle vs file
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list