héliotrope

\e.ljɔ.tʁɔp\

/\e.ljɔ.tʁɔp\/ noun

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

The verdict

“héliotrope” is uncommon French (frequency #99,207 among 109,908 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#99,207
frequency rank, French
109,908
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Plante de la famille des Boraginacées, à espèces très nombreuses.

Key facts for héliotrope
PropertyValue
Headwordhéliotrope
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.ljɔ.tʁɔp\
Letters10
Frequency rank#99,207
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “héliotrope” 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). héliotrope lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

héliotrope is uncommon French at frequency #99,207 among 109,908 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \e.ljɔ.tʁɔp\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for héliotrope, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is héliotrope, spelled H-É-L-I-O-T-R-O-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Plante de la famille des Boraginacées, à espèces très nombreuses.
  2. 2
    Plante dont la fleur suit le cours du soleil (ex. : tournesol).
  3. 3
    Pierre semi-précieuse qui est une espèce de jaspe verdâtre et rayée de veines rouges.
  4. 4
    Instrument de géodésie inventé en 1821 par Carl Friedrich Gauss, composé d'un télescope et d'un miroir qui réfléchit les rayons du soleil sur de longues distances.
  5. 5
    Couleur violette. #DF73FF

This word in other languages

heliotrope(English)Sonnenwende(Deutsch)

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 "héliotrope"?
"héliotrope" is spelled H-É-L-I-O-T-R-O-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is \e.ljɔ.tʁɔp\.
What does "héliotrope" mean?
As a noun, "héliotrope" means: Plante de la famille des Boraginacées, à espèces très nombreuses.
How do you pronounce "héliotrope"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "héliotrope" is \e.ljɔ.tʁɔp\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "héliotrope" come from?
"héliotrope" 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 “héliotrope”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-É-L-I-O-T-R-O-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \e.ljɔ.tʁɔp\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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