kühl

\kyːl\

/\kyːl\/ adj

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Frais (en parlant d’une température).

Corpus desk

Index FR-kuhl · kühl · French

kühl · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • 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 kühl
PropertyValue
Headwordkühl
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\kyːl\
Letters4
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « kühl » en français

kühlreste 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

kühl is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \kyːl\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for kühl, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is kühl, spelled K-Ü-H-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Frais (en parlant d’une température).
  2. 2
    Froid, réservé (en parlant d’une personne).
  3. 3
    Qui montre peu d’émotion, difficile à exciter sexuellement, frigide.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how kühl appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Die neuen Bohrungen werden noch am Nachmittag beginnen, der neue Beton wird im Laufe der Nacht, während der kühlsten Stunden, verpresst.
  2. Manchmal erscheint der See mir kühl und abweisend, dann wieder einladend und erfrischend, andere Male sieht er regelrecht verwunschen aus, so dass ich die Jungfrauen mit den Fischschwänzen dicht unter der Oberfläche erahnen kann, von denen die alten Sagen der Region erzählen.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 "kühl"?
"kühl" is spelled K-Ü-H-L. The IPA pronunciation is \kyːl\.
What does "kühl" mean?
As an adjective, "kühl" means: Frais (en parlant d’une température).
How do you pronounce "kühl"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kühl" is \kyːl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "kühl" come from?
"kühl" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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