guignol

\ɡi.ɲɔl\

/\ɡi.ɲɔl\/ noun

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

The verdict

“guignol” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #21,336 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#21,336
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Marionnette animée de l’intérieur par les doigts du marionnettiste.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

guignol vs guignols
88% similar
guignol vs grignon
71% similar

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

Key facts for guignol
PropertyValue
Headwordguignol
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɡi.ɲɔl\
Letters7
Frequency rank#21,336
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “guignol” 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). guignol 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 guignol is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɡi.ɲɔl\. Corpus data places it at rank #21,336 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for guignol, with forms such as "gguignol", "giugnol", and "guginol". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "guignols", "grignon", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, 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 guignol, spelled G-U-I-G-N-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marionnette animée de l’intérieur par les doigts du marionnettiste.
  2. 2
    Petit théâtre de marionnettes comique dont Guignol est le principal personnage.
  3. 3
    Logette posée sur la coulisse ou sur la scène et où le directeur et les acteurs peuvent se tenir.
  4. 4
    Pitre, clown.
  5. 5
    Spectacle vulgaire.
  6. 6
    Personne ridicule ou involontairement comique.
  7. 7
    Personne à qui l'on joue un tour, qui est dupée, dont on se moque.
  8. 8
    Cœur
  9. 9
    Triangle situé sur un plan horizontal, fixé à un mât par un de ses sommets, et qui permet de donner de la flèche vers l’avant aux haubans maintenant le haut du mât.

This word in other languages

puppet(English)títere(Español)fantoche(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: gguignol,giugnol,guginol,guiggnol,guignlo,guignnol,guignoll,guigonl,guingol,ugignol

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gguignol1giugnol2guginol2guiggnol1guignlo2guignnol1guignoll1guigonl2
Edit distance from "guignol"

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 "guignol"?
"guignol" is spelled G-U-I-G-N-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡi.ɲɔl\.
What does "guignol" mean?
As a noun, "guignol" means: Marionnette animée de l’intérieur par les doigts du marionnettiste.
What words are commonly confused with "guignol"?
"guignol" is commonly confused with "guignols", "grignon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "guignol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "guignol" is \ɡi.ɲɔl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "guignol" come from?
"guignol" 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 “guignol”

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

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