mum
\ˈmʌm\
The verdict
“mum” is an uncommon French word, ranked #60,976 in French word frequency and used as a noun.
- #60,976
- frequency rank, French
- 3
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - , , , , , , , , Maman. Note d’usage : Mis en majuscule si le locuteur réfère à sa mère comme un nom propre.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mum |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \ˈmʌm\ |
| Letters | 3 |
| Frequency rank | #60,976 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mum” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for mum is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈmʌm\. Corpus data places it at rank #60,976 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: ", , , , , , , , Maman. Note d’usage : Mis en majuscule si le locuteur réfère à sa mère comme un nom propre.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for mum, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is mum, spelled M-U-M.
Definition
- 1, , , , , , , , Maman. Note d’usage : Mis en majuscule si le locuteur réfère à sa mère comme un nom propre.
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
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Using “mum”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is M-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \ˈmʌm\ (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.