lavoir

\la.vwaʁ\

/\la.vwaʁ\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“lavoir” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #30,246 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#30,246
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Bassin public alimenté en eau aménagé pour rincer le linge.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

lavoir vs loir
67% similar
lavoir vs Lenoir
50% similar
lavoir vs Lair
50% similar

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

Key facts for lavoir
PropertyValue
Headwordlavoir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\la.vwaʁ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,246
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lavoir” 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). lavoir 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 lavoir is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \la.vwaʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #30,246 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for lavoir, with forms such as "alvoir", "laovir", and "lavior". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "loir", "Lenoir", "Lair", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, 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 lavoir, spelled L-A-V-O-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bassin public alimenté en eau aménagé pour rincer le linge.
  2. 2
    Bassin public alimenté en eau aménagé pour rincer le linge.
  3. 3
    Bassin public alimenté en eau aménagé pour rincer le linge.
  4. 4
    Bassin public alimenté en eau aménagé pour rincer le linge.
  5. 5
    Dans les communautés et dans les sacristies, lieu où on se lave les mains.
  6. 6
    Appareil destiné à laver les substances que l’on emploie dans les manufactures ; machine dont on se sert pour laver le minerai, dans les mines.
  7. 7
    Accessoire destiné à être vissé sur la baguette du fusil et qui permet de coincer un chiffon pour ensuite l'introduite dans l'âme du canon afin de le nettoyer l'arme.

This word in other languages

wash house(English)lavadero(Español)Lavoir(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: alvoir,laovir,lavior,lavoirr,lavori,lavvoir,llavoir,lvaoir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lavoir - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

alvoir2laovir2lavior2lavoirr1lavori2lavvoir1llavoir1lvaoir2
Edit distance from "lavoir"

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 "lavoir"?
"lavoir" is spelled L-A-V-O-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \la.vwaʁ\.
What does "lavoir" mean?
As a noun, "lavoir" means: Bassin public alimenté en eau aménagé pour rincer le linge.
What words are commonly confused with "lavoir"?
"lavoir" is commonly confused with "loir", "Lenoir", "Lair". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lavoir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lavoir" is \la.vwaʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lavoir" come from?
"lavoir" 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 “lavoir”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is L-A-V-O-I-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \la.vwaʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “loir” - see the side-by-side comparison. lavoir vs loir
  • 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