houppe

^((h aspiré))\up\

/^((h aspiré))\up\/ noun

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

The verdict

“houppe” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Assemblage de plusieurs filets de laine, de soie, etc., liés ensemble de manière à former un bouquet, une touffe, un flocon.

Key facts for houppe
PropertyValue
Headwordhouppe
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA^((h aspiré))\up\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “houppe” sits in French frequency

houppe 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for houppe is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as ^((h aspiré))\up\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

houppe doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is houppe, spelled H-O-U-P-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Assemblage de plusieurs filets de laine, de soie, etc., liés ensemble de manière à former un bouquet, une touffe, un flocon.
  2. 2
    Chez les hommes, touffe de cheveux sur le devant de la tête, toupet.
  3. 3
    Touffe de soie qui termine un cordon de soie entrelacé et pendant du chapeau ; elle sert de timbre au chapeau des cardinaux, archevêques, évêques et protonotaires.
  4. 4
    Huppe que certains oiseaux portent sur la tête.
  5. 5
    Petite touffe étalée de poils en quelque partie du corps d’un animal.
  6. 6
    Petite touffe de poils étalés à l’extrémité d’une graine.
  7. 7
    La tête d’un arbre, son faîte, sa cime.
  8. 8
    Toison lavée et préparée pour être filée.
  9. 9
    Bout de fil d’or, d’argent ou de ruban effilé qui déborde le fer de l’aiguillette.

This word in other languages

tuft(English)tufo(Português)

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 "houppe"?
"houppe" is spelled H-O-U-P-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is ^((h aspiré))\up\.
What does "houppe" mean?
As a noun, "houppe" means: Assemblage de plusieurs filets de laine, de soie, etc., liés ensemble de manière à former un bouquet, une touffe, un flocon.
How do you pronounce "houppe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "houppe" is ^((h aspiré))\up\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "houppe" come from?
"houppe" 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 “houppe”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-O-U-P-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as ^((h aspiré))\up\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list