film

\film\

/\film\/ noun

The verdict

“film” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #366 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#366
frequency rank, French
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pellicule de gélatine de type photographique sur laquelle on enregistre une suite d’images à l’aide d’un appareil photo.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

film vs fm
50% similar
film vs FL
0% similar
film vs fin
50% similar

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

Key facts for film
PropertyValue
Headwordfilm
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\film\
Letters4
Frequency rank#366
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “film” 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). film lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for film is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \film\. Corpus data places it at rank #366 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for film, with forms such as "ffilm", "fillm", and "filmm". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fm", "FL", "fin", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is film, spelled F-I-L-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pellicule de gélatine de type photographique sur laquelle on enregistre une suite d’images à l’aide d’un appareil photo.
  2. 2
    Pellicule cinématographique sur laquelle on enregistre une suite d’images constituant un récit.
  3. 3
    L’œuvre elle-même.
  4. 4
    Industrie du cinéma.
  5. 5
    Fine pellicule de plastique transparente destinée à l’emballage d’un objet dont elle épouse la forme.
  6. 6
    Fine pellicule de plastique transparente destinée à l’emballage d’un objet dont elle épouse la forme.
  7. 7
    Mince couche de matière. Le terme feuil a été suggéré comme francisation.
  8. 8
    Nom générique désignant toute pellicule de matière solide ou liquide.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffilm,fillm,filmm,fiml,flim,iflm

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of film - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ffilm1fillm1filmm1fiml2flim2iflm2
Edit distance from "film"

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 "film"?
"film" is spelled F-I-L-M. The IPA pronunciation is \film\.
What does "film" mean?
As a noun, "film" means: Pellicule de gélatine de type photographique sur laquelle on enregistre une suite d’images à l’aide d’un appareil photo.
What words are commonly confused with "film"?
"film" is commonly confused with "fm", "FL", "fin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "film"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "film" is \film\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "film" come from?
"film" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “film”

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

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