mot-clé

\mo.kle\

/\mo.kle\/ noun

The verdict

“mot-clé” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Mot ayant une plus grande importance que d’autres.

Key facts for mot-clé
PropertyValue
Headwordmot-clé
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mo.kle\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mot-clé” sits in French frequency

mot-clé 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.

Rare enough to double-check

mot-clé is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \mo.kle\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for mot-clé, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is mot-clé, spelled M-O-T---C-L-É.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mot ayant une plus grande importance que d’autres.
  2. 2
    Mot réservé qui ne peut être choisi pour le nom d’une variable constante, fonction ou autre création particulière au programme en cours.
  3. 3
    Mot réservé qui ne peut être choisi pour le nom d’une variable constante, fonction ou autre création particulière au programme en cours.
  4. 4
    Mot réservé qui ne peut être choisi pour le nom d’une variable constante, fonction ou autre création particulière au programme en cours.

This word in other languages

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 "mot-clé"?
"mot-clé" is spelled M-O-T---C-L-É. The IPA pronunciation is \mo.kle\.
What does "mot-clé" mean?
As a noun, "mot-clé" means: Mot ayant une plus grande importance que d’autres.
How do you pronounce "mot-clé"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mot-clé" is \mo.kle\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mot-clé" come from?
"mot-clé" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “mot-clé”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-O-T---C-L-É - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \mo.kle\ (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