maelström

\mal.stʁøm\

/\mal.stʁøm\/ noun

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

The verdict

“maelström” is uncommon French (frequency #79,503 among 202,672 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,503
frequency rank, French
202,672
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Variante de maëlstrom.

Key facts for maelström
PropertyValue
Headwordmaelström
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mal.stʁøm\
Letters9
Frequency rank#79,503
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “maelström” 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). maelström 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

maelström is uncommon French at frequency #79,503 among 202,672 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \mal.stʁøm\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Variante de maëlstrom.".

No misspelling variants are generated for maelström in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is maelström, spelled M-A-E-L-S-T-R-Ö-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Variante de maëlstrom.

This word in other languages

maelstrom(English)

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 "maelström"?
"maelström" is spelled M-A-E-L-S-T-R-Ö-M. The IPA pronunciation is \mal.stʁøm\.
What does "maelström" mean?
As a noun, "maelström" means: Variante de maëlstrom.
How do you pronounce "maelström"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maelström" is \mal.stʁøm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "maelström" come from?
"maelström" 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 “maelström”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-A-E-L-S-T-R-Ö-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \mal.stʁøm\ (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