mal français

\mal fʁɑ̃.sɛ\

/\mal fʁɑ̃.sɛ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“mal français” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

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

Key facts for mal français
PropertyValue
Headwordmal français
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mal fʁɑ̃.sɛ\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mal français” sits in French frequency

mal français falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for mal français is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \mal fʁɑ̃.sɛ\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Syphilis.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for mal français, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, 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 mal français, spelled M-A-L- -F-R-A-N-Ç-A-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Syphilis.

This word in other languages

gálico(Español)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mal français"?
"mal français" is spelled M-A-L- -F-R-A-N-Ç-A-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is \mal fʁɑ̃.sɛ\.
What does "mal français" mean?
As a noun, "mal français" means: Syphilis.
How do you pronounce "mal français"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mal français" is \mal fʁɑ̃.sɛ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mal français" come from?
"mal français" 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 “mal français”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-A-L- -F-R-A-N-Ç-A-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \mal fʁɑ̃.sɛ\ (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
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