homely

\ˈhoʊm.li\

/\ˈhoʊm.li\/ adj

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

The verdict

“homely” 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 May 6, 2026) - Relatif à la maison. Qui a l’air d’une maison.

Key facts for homely
PropertyValue
Headwordhomely
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈhoʊm.li\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “homely” sits in French frequency

homely falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

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

No misspelling variants are generated for homely in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is homely, spelled H-O-M-E-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relatif à la maison. Qui a l’air d’une maison.
  2. 2
    Pas beau ou belle physiquement, en parlant d’une personne.

Synonyms

unattractive

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 "homely"?
"homely" is spelled H-O-M-E-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈhoʊm.li\.
What does "homely" mean?
As an adjective, "homely" means: Relatif à la maison. Qui a l’air d’une maison.
How do you pronounce "homely"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "homely" is \ˈhoʊm.li\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "homely" come from?
"homely" 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 “homely”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-O-M-E-L-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈhoʊm.li\ (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
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