grand-guignol

\ɡʁɑ̃ ɡi.ɲɔl\

/\ɡʁɑ̃ ɡi.ɲɔl\/ noun

The verdict

“grand-guignol” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Épouvante dont le caractère exagéré, loufoque et invraisemblable rappelle les outrances du Grand-Guignol.

Corpus desk

Index FR-grand-guignol · grand-guignol · French

grand-guignol · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "G" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for grand-guignol
PropertyValue
Headwordgrand-guignol
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɡʁɑ̃ ɡi.ɲɔl\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « grand-guignol » en français

grand-guignolsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

grand-guignol is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ɡʁɑ̃ ɡi.ɲɔl\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for grand-guignol in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, 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 grand-guignol, spelled G-R-A-N-D---G-U-I-G-N-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Épouvante dont le caractère exagéré, loufoque et invraisemblable rappelle les outrances du Grand-Guignol.
  2. 2
    Situation ou lieu loufoque voire épouvantable.
  3. 3
    Théâtre macabre.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how grand-guignol appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Non, non, non, j’irai pas chez ma tante Plutôt mille fois être groom chez Borniol Ou bien le nain dans un film d’épouvante Mais si vous me lourdez dans ce grand-guignol Je lui peindrai ses binocles, je ferai cuire son canari J’ouvrirai le tuyau de gaz dans son lit […]
  2. Dans cette vie politique italienne qui confine parfois au grand-guignol, le gouvernement nationaliste porté par le parti d’extrême droite Fratelli d’Italia alimente les programmes satiriques.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "grand-guignol"?
"grand-guignol" is spelled G-R-A-N-D---G-U-I-G-N-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡʁɑ̃ ɡi.ɲɔl\.
What does "grand-guignol" mean?
As a noun, "grand-guignol" means: Épouvante dont le caractère exagéré, loufoque et invraisemblable rappelle les outrances du Grand-Guignol.
How do you pronounce "grand-guignol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grand-guignol" is \ɡʁɑ̃ ɡi.ɲɔl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "grand-guignol" come from?
"grand-guignol" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list