lignite

\li.ɲit\

/\li.ɲit\/ noun

The verdict

“lignite” is uncommon French (frequency #50,333 among 128,088 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,333
frequency rank, French
128,088
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Roche sédimentaire carbonée composée de restes fossiles de plantes, considérée, par certains, comme une roche intermédiaire entre la tourbe et la houille.

Key facts for lignite
PropertyValue
Headwordlignite
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\li.ɲit\
Letters7
Frequency rank#50,333
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lignite” 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). lignite lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lignite is uncommon French at frequency #50,333 among 128,088 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \li.ɲit\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Roche sédimentaire carbonée composée de restes fossiles de plantes, considérée, par certains, comme une roche intermédiaire entre la tourbe et la houille.".

No misspelling variants are generated for lignite in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is lignite, spelled L-I-G-N-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Roche sédimentaire carbonée composée de restes fossiles de plantes, considérée, par certains, comme une roche intermédiaire entre la tourbe et la houille.

Synonyms

charbon bruncharbon de lignitehouille brune

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); 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 "lignite"?
"lignite" is spelled L-I-G-N-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \li.ɲit\.
What does "lignite" mean?
As a noun, "lignite" means: Roche sédimentaire carbonée composée de restes fossiles de plantes, considérée, par certains, comme une roche intermédiaire entre la tourbe et la houille.
How do you pronounce "lignite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lignite" is \li.ɲit\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lignite" come from?
"lignite" 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.

Using “lignite”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is L-I-G-N-I-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \li.ɲit\ (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

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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