gamine

\ɡa.min\

/\ɡa.min\/ noun

The verdict

“gamine” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #9,487 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,487
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Enfant pauvre qui vit dans les rues.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gamine vs gamme
67% similar
gamine vs Gavin
50% similar
gamine vs gamins
83% similar

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

Key facts for gamine
PropertyValue
Headwordgamine
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɡa.min\
Letters6
Frequency rank#9,487
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gamine” 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). gamine 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 gamine is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɡa.min\. Corpus data places it at rank #9,487 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for gamine, with forms such as "agmine", "gaimne", and "gamien". 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 also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "gamme", "Gavin", "gamins", 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 explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is gamine, spelled G-A-M-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Enfant pauvre qui vit dans les rues.
  2. 2
    Petite fille. — Note d’usage : Il se dit en particulier des enfants qui passent leur temps à jouer dans les rues.
  3. 3
    Fille espiègle et hardie. Il s’emploie souvent en mauvaise part.
  4. 4
    Femme notablement plus jeune par rapport à une autre.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: agmine,gaimne,gamien,gaminne,gammine,gamnie,ggamine,gmaine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

agmine2gaimne2gamien2gaminne1gammine1gamnie2ggamine1gmaine2
Edit distance from "gamine"

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 "gamine"?
"gamine" is spelled G-A-M-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡa.min\.
What does "gamine" mean?
As a noun, "gamine" means: Enfant pauvre qui vit dans les rues.
What words are commonly confused with "gamine"?
"gamine" is commonly confused with "gamme", "Gavin", "gamins". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gamine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gamine" is \ɡa.min\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gamine" come from?
"gamine" 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 “gamine”

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

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