griffon

\ɡʁi.fɔ̃\

/\ɡʁi.fɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“griffon” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #35,975 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#35,975
frequency rank, French
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Animal fabuleux, moitié aigle et moitié lion.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

griffon vs grignon
71% similar
griffon vs grillon
71% similar
griffon vs griffe
71% similar

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

Key facts for griffon
PropertyValue
Headwordgriffon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɡʁi.fɔ̃\
Letters7
Frequency rank#35,975
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “griffon” 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). griffon 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 griffon is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɡʁi.fɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #35,975 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for griffon, with forms such as "ggriffon", "girffon", and "grfifon". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "grignon", "grillon", "griffe", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is griffon, spelled G-R-I-F-F-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Animal fabuleux, moitié aigle et moitié lion.
  2. 2
    Meuble représentant l’animal fabuleux du même nom dans les armoiries. Il est généralement représenté rampant et tourné à dextre.
  3. 3
    Fontaine publique, car souvent la sortie d'eau était ornée d'une tête de griffon. Ce nom est toutefois encore assez courant dans les sources thermales.
  4. 4
    Ouverture naturelle d'où sort l'eau d'une source thermale.
  5. 5
    Nom vulgaire de certains oiseaux de proie.
  6. 6
    Hameçon double avec lequel on prend le brochet.
  7. 7
    Lime dentelée qui était utilisée par les tireurs d'or (ceux qui fabriquaient du fil d'or).
  8. 8
    Griffon des philosophes : Nom donné à l'antimoine par les alchimistes.

Synonyms

grype

This word in other languages

griffin(English)grifo(Español)Greif(Deutsch)grifo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggriffon,girffon,grfifon,griffno,griffonn,grifofn,grifon,grriffon,rgiffon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of griffon - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ggriffon1girffon2grfifon2griffno2griffonn1grifofn2grifon1grriffon1
Edit distance from "griffon"

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 "griffon"?
"griffon" is spelled G-R-I-F-F-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡʁi.fɔ̃\.
What does "griffon" mean?
As a noun, "griffon" means: Animal fabuleux, moitié aigle et moitié lion.
What words are commonly confused with "griffon"?
"griffon" is commonly confused with "grignon", "grillon", "griffe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "griffon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "griffon" is \ɡʁi.fɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "griffon" come from?
"griffon" 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 “griffon”

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

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