martingale

\maʁ.tɛ̃.ɡal\

/\maʁ.tɛ̃.ɡal\/ noun

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

The verdict

“martingale” is uncommon French (frequency #68,451 among 202,672 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,451
frequency rank, French
202,672
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Courroie qui tient par un bout à la sangle sous le ventre du cheval, et par l’autre à la muserolle, pour empêcher qu’il ne porte au vent et ne donne de la tête.

Key facts for martingale
PropertyValue
Headwordmartingale
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\maʁ.tɛ̃.ɡal\
Letters10
Frequency rank#68,451
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “martingale” 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). martingale 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

martingale is uncommon French at frequency #68,451 among 202,672 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \maʁ.tɛ̃.ɡal\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

martingale doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is martingale, spelled M-A-R-T-I-N-G-A-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Courroie qui tient par un bout à la sangle sous le ventre du cheval, et par l’autre à la muserolle, pour empêcher qu’il ne porte au vent et ne donne de la tête.
  2. 2
    Sangle ou languette en cuir de buffle qui permet de relier la giberne, ou cartouchière, au baudrier ou à l'habit du fantassin.
  3. 3
    Sorte de demi-ceinture placée dans le dos d’une capote ou d’un manteau pour marquer la taille.
  4. 4
    Manière de jouer qui consiste à ponter, à chaque coup, le double de ce qu’on a perdu sur le coup précédent.
  5. 5
    Diverses manières de jouer son argent, que certains joueurs imaginent, et qu’ils suivent avec plus ou moins de persévérance.
  6. 6
    Action qui réussit à tous les coups.
  7. 7
    Processus aléatoire (Xₜ) pour lequel l'espérance conditionnelle de Xₛ au temps t<s vaut Xₜ.

This word in other languages

martingale(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 "martingale"?
"martingale" is spelled M-A-R-T-I-N-G-A-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \maʁ.tɛ̃.ɡal\.
What does "martingale" mean?
As a noun, "martingale" means: Courroie qui tient par un bout à la sangle sous le ventre du cheval, et par l’autre à la muserolle, pour empêcher qu’il ne porte au vent et ne donne de la tête.
How do you pronounce "martingale"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "martingale" is \maʁ.tɛ̃.ɡal\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "martingale" come from?
"martingale" 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 “martingale”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-A-R-T-I-N-G-A-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \maʁ.tɛ̃.ɡal\ (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