malheurs

\ma.lœʁ\

/\ma.lœʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“malheurs” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #14,972 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#14,972
frequency rank, French
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

malheurs vs mangeurs
75% similar
malheurs vs marcheurs
78% similar
malheurs vs malheur
88% similar

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

Key facts for malheurs
PropertyValue
Headwordmalheurs
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ma.lœʁ\
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,972
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “malheurs” 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). malheurs 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 malheurs is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ma.lœʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #14,972 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Pluriel de malheur.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for malheurs, with forms such as "amlheurs", "mahleurs", and "malehurs". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "mangeurs", "marcheurs", "malheur", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is malheurs, spelled M-A-L-H-E-U-R-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pluriel de malheur.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amlheurs,mahleurs,malehurs,malherus,malheurrs,malheurss,malheusr,malhheurs,malhuers,mallheurs,mlaheurs,mmalheurs

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amlheurs2mahleurs2malehurs2malherus2malheurrs1malheurss1malheusr2malhheurs1
Edit distance from "malheurs"

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 "malheurs"?
"malheurs" is spelled M-A-L-H-E-U-R-S. The IPA pronunciation is \ma.lœʁ\.
What does "malheurs" mean?
As a noun, "malheurs" means: Pluriel de malheur.
What words are commonly confused with "malheurs"?
"malheurs" is commonly confused with "mangeurs", "marcheurs", "malheur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "malheurs"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "malheurs" is \ma.lœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "malheurs" come from?
"malheurs" 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 “malheurs”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-A-L-H-E-U-R-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ma.lœʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mangeurs” - see the side-by-side comparison. malheurs vs mangeurs
  • 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