fléau

\fle.o\

/\fle.o\/ noun

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

The verdict

“fléau” has 7 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #10,502. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,502
frequency rank, French
137,178
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Instrument composé de deux bâtons attachés l’un à l’autre à leur bout par un lien flexible, et qui sert à battre le grain pour le séparer de la tige et de l'épi, à la manière d’un fouet rigide. L’u...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fléau vs flou
60% similar
fléau vs flex
40% similar
fléau vs Frau
40% similar

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

Key facts for fléau
PropertyValue
Headwordfléau
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fle.o\
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,502
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fléau” 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). fléau 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 7 spelling variants around fléau (IPA \fle.o\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,502 among 137,178 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for fléau, with forms such as "ffléau", "flaéu", and "fleau". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "flou", "flex", "Frau", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is fléau, spelled F-L-É-A-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Instrument composé de deux bâtons attachés l’un à l’autre à leur bout par un lien flexible, et qui sert à battre le grain pour le séparer de la tige et de l'épi, à la manière d’un fouet rigide. L’un des deux bâtons est le manche de l’outil, l’autre en est la lame.
  2. 2
    Toute grande calamité, malheur ou catastrophe publique ou privée (guerre, épidémie, famine…).
  3. 3
    Se dit aussi de personnes.
  4. 4
    Se dit aussi de tout ce qui est nuisible, funeste, redoutable.
  5. 5
    Partie principale d’une balance. Tige horizontale aux extrémités de laquelle sont pendus ou se placent les deux plateaux et au milieu de laquelle, pour les balances à cadran, est fixée, perpendiculairement, l’aiguille de l’indicateur de mesure.
  6. 6
    Barre de fer qu’on met derrière les portes cochères et qu’on tourne à demi pour ouvrir les deux battants.
  7. 7
    Bascule à contrepoids qui sert à fermer une écluse.
  8. 8
    Fléau d’armes.
  9. 9
    Instrument à percussion valdôtain en bois créé dans les années 1960 en tant qu’accompagnement des accordéons lors des chansons folk.

This word in other languages

flail(English)mayal(Español)Flegel(Deutsch)mangual(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffléau
  • flaéu
  • fleau
  • flléau
  • fléua
  • félau
  • lféau

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffléau1flaéu2fleau1flléau1fléua2félau2lféau2
Edit distance from "fléau"

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 "fléau"?
"fléau" is spelled F-L-É-A-U. The IPA pronunciation is \fle.o\.
What does "fléau" mean?
As a noun, "fléau" means: Instrument composé de deux bâtons attachés l’un à l’autre à leur bout par un lien flexible, et qui sert à battre le grain pour le séparer de la tige et de l'épi, à la manière d’un fouet rigide. L’u...
What words are commonly confused with "fléau"?
"fléau" is commonly confused with "flou", "flex", "Frau". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fléau"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fléau" is \fle.o\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fléau" come from?
"fléau" 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 “fléau”

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

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