Kardinal

[kaʁdiˈnaːl]

/[kaʁdiˈnaːl]/ noun

The verdict

“Kardinal” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Cardinal.

Corpus desk

Index FR-kardinal · Kardinal · French

Kardinal · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "K" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for Kardinal
PropertyValue
HeadwordKardinal
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA[kaʁdiˈnaːl]
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « Kardinal » en français

Kardinalreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

Kardinal is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [kaʁdiˈnaːl]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Kardinal doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is Kardinal, spelled K-A-R-D-I-N-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Cardinal.
  2. 2
    Cardinal.
  3. 3
    Cardinal.
  4. 4
    (Boisson alcoolisée) Boisson froide à base de vin blanc, de sucre et d'écorce d'orange amère.

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 "Kardinal"?
"Kardinal" is spelled K-A-R-D-I-N-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is [kaʁdiˈnaːl].
What does "Kardinal" mean?
As a noun, "Kardinal" means: Cardinal.
How do you pronounce "Kardinal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Kardinal" is [kaʁdiˈnaːl]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Kardinal" come from?
"Kardinal" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list