lynx

/\lɛ̃ks\/ noun

Letters

4 characters

Frequency Rank

#23,925

in French word usage

Misspellings

7

tracked variants

Confusables

20

similar word pairs

lynx is aFrenchnoun. It means: Une des espèces de félins sauvages ressemblant à un gros chat, dont la face est ornée de favoris et d’oreilles triangulaires surmontées d’une touffe de poil, et le corps doté d’une courte queue et ... Pronounced \lɛ̃ks\. Often confused with lys and Lyon.

Key facts for lynx
PropertyValue
Headwordlynx
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\lɛ̃ks\
Letters4
Frequency rank#23,925
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of lynx in French word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for lynx is 4 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \lɛ̃ks\. Corpus data places it at rank #23,925 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for lynx, with forms such as "llynx", "lnyx", and "lynnx". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lys", "Lyon", "lyre", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct French form is lynx, spelled L-Y-N-X, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Une des espèces de félins sauvages ressemblant à un gros chat, dont la face est ornée de favoris et d’oreilles triangulaires surmontées d’une touffe de poil, et le corps doté d’une courte queue et de longues pattes.
  2. 2
    Félin ressemblant aux espèces du genre Lynx.
  3. 3
    Synonyme de phalène ocellée (papillon), (Cosmorhoe ocellata).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: llynx,lnyx,lynnx,lynxx,lyxn,lyynx,ylnx

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for lynx

Misspelling Variants of "lynx"

llynx5lnyx4lynnx5lynxx5lyxn4lyynx5ylnx4
Misspelling Variants of "lynx"

Frequency rank: #23,925 in French

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lynx"?
"lynx" is spelled L-Y-N-X. The IPA pronunciation is \lɛ̃ks\.
What does "lynx" mean?
As a noun, "lynx" means: Une des espèces de félins sauvages ressemblant à un gros chat, dont la face est ornée de favoris et d’oreilles triangulaires surmontées d’une touffe de poil, et le corps doté d’une courte queue et ...
What words are commonly confused with "lynx"?
"lynx" is commonly confused with "lys", "Lyon", "lyre". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lynx"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lynx" is \lɛ̃ks\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lynx" come from?
"lynx" 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.

Nearby French words

Other entries that begin with the letter L in our French index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.