lapsus calami

\lap.sys ka.la.mi\

/\lap.sys ka.la.mi\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Erreur involontaire, faute faite en écrivant. → voir lapsus et → voir lapsus révélateur

Key facts for lapsus calami
PropertyValue
Headwordlapsus calami
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\lap.sys ka.la.mi\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lapsus calami” sits in French frequency

lapsus calami 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.

Rare enough to double-check

lapsus calami is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \lap.sys ka.la.mi\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Erreur involontaire, faute faite en écrivant. → voir lapsus et → voir lapsus révélateur".

lapsus calami doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is lapsus calami, spelled L-A-P-S-U-S- -C-A-L-A-M-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Erreur involontaire, faute faite en écrivant. → voir lapsus et → voir lapsus révélateur

This word in other languages

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 "lapsus calami"?
"lapsus calami" is spelled L-A-P-S-U-S- -C-A-L-A-M-I. The IPA pronunciation is \lap.sys ka.la.mi\.
What does "lapsus calami" mean?
As a noun, "lapsus calami" means: Erreur involontaire, faute faite en écrivant. → voir lapsus et → voir lapsus révélateur
How do you pronounce "lapsus calami"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lapsus calami" is \lap.sys ka.la.mi\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lapsus calami" come from?
"lapsus calami" 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 “lapsus calami”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is L-A-P-S-U-S- -C-A-L-A-M-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \lap.sys ka.la.mi\ (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