hundredweight

\ˈhʌn.dɹɪd.ˌweɪt\

/\ˈhʌn.dɹɪd.ˌweɪt\/ noun

The verdict

“hundredweight” 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
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unité de mesure de masse du système impérial britannique de symbole cwt égale à 112 livres avoirdupois, soit 50,8023453952 kilogrammes.

Key facts for hundredweight
PropertyValue
Headwordhundredweight
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ˈhʌn.dɹɪd.ˌweɪt\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hundredweight” sits in French frequency

hundredweight 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 hundredweight is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈhʌn.dɹɪd.ˌweɪt\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

hundredweight doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, 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 hundredweight, spelled H-U-N-D-R-E-D-W-E-I-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unité de mesure de masse du système impérial britannique de symbole cwt égale à 112 livres avoirdupois, soit 50,8023453952 kilogrammes.
  2. 2
    Unité de mesure de masse de symbole cwt égale à 100 livres avoirdupois, soit exactement 45,35923696 kilogrammes.
  3. 3
    Synonyme de quintal, unité de mesure contenant différentes quantités selon les objets pesés.
  4. 4
    Diverses unités d’anciens systèmes de mesure consistant en 100 unités généralement traduites par “pounds”.

Synonyms

long hundredweightcentalshort hundredweightquintalcentenary

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 "hundredweight"?
"hundredweight" is spelled H-U-N-D-R-E-D-W-E-I-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈhʌn.dɹɪd.ˌweɪt\.
What does "hundredweight" mean?
As a noun, "hundredweight" means: Unité de mesure de masse du système impérial britannique de symbole cwt égale à 112 livres avoirdupois, soit 50,8023453952 kilogrammes.
How do you pronounce "hundredweight"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hundredweight" is \ˈhʌn.dɹɪd.ˌweɪt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hundredweight" come from?
"hundredweight" 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 “hundredweight”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-U-N-D-R-E-D-W-E-I-G-H-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈhʌn.dɹɪd.ˌweɪt\ (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