kangourou

\kɑ̃.ɡu.ʁu\

/\kɑ̃.ɡu.ʁu\/ noun

The verdict

“kangourou” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #28,223 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#28,223
frequency rank, French
9
letters
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Animal de l’ordre des marsupiaux, originaire d’Australie caractérisé par le volume de sa queue et par la longueur de ses membres postérieurs dont il se sert pour sauter.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

kangourou vs kangourous
90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for kangourou
PropertyValue
Headwordkangourou
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɑ̃.ɡu.ʁu\
Letters9
Frequency rank#28,223
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “kangourou” 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). kangourou lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for kangourou is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɑ̃.ɡu.ʁu\. Corpus data places it at rank #28,223 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for kangourou, with forms such as "akngourou", "kagnourou", and "kanggourou". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "kangourous", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is kangourou, spelled K-A-N-G-O-U-R-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Animal de l’ordre des marsupiaux, originaire d’Australie caractérisé par le volume de sa queue et par la longueur de ses membres postérieurs dont il se sert pour sauter.
  2. 2
    Mode de transport combiné rail-route dont le wagon comportant une poche (et nommé wagon-poche) est conçu pour recevoir une semi-remorque.
  3. 3
    Vêtement ayant une poche sur le devant.
  4. 4
    Hoodie, pull à cagoule.
  5. 5
    Sorte de slip masculin qui possède sur le devant une ouverture ressemblant à une poche. Cette ouverture est destinée à pouvoir uriner sans baisser la ceinture du slip.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: akngourou,kagnourou,kanggourou,kangoruou,kangouoru,kangourrou,kangouruo,kanguorou,kanngourou,kanogurou,kkangourou,knagourou

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kangourou - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

akngourou2kagnourou2kanggourou1kangoruou2kangouoru2kangourrou1kangouruo2kanguorou2
Edit distance from "kangourou"

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 "kangourou"?
"kangourou" is spelled K-A-N-G-O-U-R-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is \kɑ̃.ɡu.ʁu\.
What does "kangourou" mean?
As a noun, "kangourou" means: Animal de l’ordre des marsupiaux, originaire d’Australie caractérisé par le volume de sa queue et par la longueur de ses membres postérieurs dont il se sert pour sauter.
What words are commonly confused with "kangourou"?
"kangourou" is commonly confused with "kangourous". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "kangourou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kangourou" is \kɑ̃.ɡu.ʁu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "kangourou" come from?
"kangourou" 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 “kangourou”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is K-A-N-G-O-U-R-O-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɑ̃.ɡu.ʁu\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “kangourous” - see the side-by-side comparison. kangourou vs kangourous
  • 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