légume

\le.ɡym\

/\le.ɡym\/ noun

The verdict

“légume” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #17,474 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,474
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Toute sorte d’herbes potagères, de plantes, de racines, de graines comestibles. Organisme végétal considéré en tant qu’aliment et utilisé principalement dans des plats salés (par opposition aux fru...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

légume vs ligue
67% similar
légume vs lemme
50% similar
légume vs levure
50% similar

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

Key facts for légume
PropertyValue
Headwordlégume
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\le.ɡym\
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,474
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “légume” 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). légume 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 légume is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \le.ɡym\. Corpus data places it at rank #17,474 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for légume, with forms such as "legume", "lgéume", and "llégume". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "ligue", "lemme", "levure", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

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 légume, spelled L-É-G-U-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Toute sorte d’herbes potagères, de plantes, de racines, de graines comestibles. Organisme végétal considéré en tant qu’aliment et utilisé principalement dans des plats salés (par opposition aux fruits) et en quantité substantielle (par opposition aux épices et aux herbes) ; on y inclus parfois les champignons comestibles.
  2. 2
    Synonyme de gousse, fruit des légumineuses.
  3. 3
    Personne ne faisant jamais rien, dans un état végétatif (au propre ou au figuré).

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: legume,lgéume,llégume,léggume,légmue,léguem,légumme,léugme,élgume

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

legume1lgéume2llégume1léggume1légmue2léguem2légumme1léugme2
Edit distance from "légume"

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 "légume"?
"légume" is spelled L-É-G-U-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is \le.ɡym\.
What does "légume" mean?
As a noun, "légume" means: Toute sorte d’herbes potagères, de plantes, de racines, de graines comestibles. Organisme végétal considéré en tant qu’aliment et utilisé principalement dans des plats salés (par opposition aux fru...
What words are commonly confused with "légume"?
"légume" is commonly confused with "ligue", "lemme", "levure". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "légume"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "légume" is \le.ɡym\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "légume" come from?
"légume" 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 “légume”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is L-É-G-U-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \le.ɡym\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ligue” - see the side-by-side comparison. légume vs ligue
  • 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