heikel

\ˈhaɪkəl\

/\ˈhaɪkəl\/ adj

The verdict

“heikel” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Délicat, délicate, tendre.

Corpus desk

Index FR-heikel · heikel · French

heikel · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" 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 heikel
PropertyValue
Headwordheikel
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈhaɪkəl\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « heikel » en français

heikelreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

heikel is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ˈhaɪkəl\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

heikel has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is heikel, spelled H-E-I-K-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Délicat, délicate, tendre.
  2. 2
    Délicat, délicate, difficile, embarrassant, dangereux, périlleux.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Die Mission ist politisch gleich doppelt heikel. Erstens: Ein grüner Minister geht auf Einkaufstour, um den Nachschub fossiler Energien für das Energiewende-Land Deutschland zu besorgen. Zweitens: Ein grüner Minister sucht die Geschäfte ausgerechnet mit Katar.
  2. Schon einmal befand sich Miles Routledge in einer heiklen Situation in Afghanistan, (...) Was ihn aber nicht davon abhielt, erneut nach Afghanistan zu reisen - trotz der strikten Reisewarnung, die auch die Regierung in London ausgesprochen hat.

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 "heikel"?
"heikel" is spelled H-E-I-K-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈhaɪkəl\.
What does "heikel" mean?
As an adjective, "heikel" means: Délicat, délicate, tendre.
How do you pronounce "heikel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "heikel" is \ˈhaɪkəl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "heikel" come from?
"heikel" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list