mélancolie

\me.lɑ̃.kɔ.li\

/\me.lɑ̃.kɔ.li\/ noun

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

The verdict

“mélancolie” has 15 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #17,488. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,488
frequency rank, French
202,672
“M” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Hypothétique bile noire dont l’excès de sécrétion prédisposerait le patient à la tristesse, selon la médecine ancienne et sa théorie des humeurs.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mélancolie vs mélancolique
83% similar

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

Key facts for mélancolie
PropertyValue
Headwordmélancolie
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\me.lɑ̃.kɔ.li\
Letters10
Frequency rank#17,488
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mélancolie” 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). mélancolie lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around mélancolie (IPA \me.lɑ̃.kɔ.li\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,488 among 202,672 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for mélancolie, with forms such as "melancolie", "mléancolie", and "mmélancolie". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "mélancolique", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is mélancolie, spelled M-É-L-A-N-C-O-L-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Hypothétique bile noire dont l’excès de sécrétion prédisposerait le patient à la tristesse, selon la médecine ancienne et sa théorie des humeurs.
  2. 2
    Variété de maladie mentale provoquant un état de détresse apathique, forme extrême de la dépression, pouvant conduire au suicide.
  3. 3
    Certaine disposition de l’âme à la tristesse.

Synonyms

lipémanielypémaniespleen

This word in other languages

melancholy(English)melancolía(Español)Melancholie(Deutsch)melancolia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • melancolie
  • mléancolie
  • mmélancolie
  • méalncolie
  • mélacnolie
  • mélanccolie
  • mélancloie
  • mélancoile
  • mélancolei
  • mélancollie
  • mélanncolie
  • mélanoclie
  • méllancolie
  • mélnacolie
  • émlancolie

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mélancolie - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

melancolie1mléancolie2mmélancolie1méalncolie2mélacnolie2mélanccolie1mélancloie2mélancoile2
Edit distance from "mélancolie"

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 "mélancolie"?
"mélancolie" is spelled M-É-L-A-N-C-O-L-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is \me.lɑ̃.kɔ.li\.
What does "mélancolie" mean?
As a noun, "mélancolie" means: Hypothétique bile noire dont l’excès de sécrétion prédisposerait le patient à la tristesse, selon la médecine ancienne et sa théorie des humeurs.
What words are commonly confused with "mélancolie"?
"mélancolie" is commonly confused with "mélancolique". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mélancolie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mélancolie" is \me.lɑ̃.kɔ.li\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mélancolie" come from?
"mélancolie" 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 “mélancolie”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-É-L-A-N-C-O-L-I-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \me.lɑ̃.kɔ.li\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mélancolique” - see the side-by-side comparison. mélancolie vs mélancolique
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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