Niobé

\ni.o.be\

/\ni.o.be\/ name

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

The verdict

“Niobé” is uncommon French (frequency #96,180 among 86,328 “N” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,180
frequency rank, French
86,328
“N” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fille de Tantale, épouse d’Amphion, roi de Thèbes, ses sept fils et sept filles furent assassinés par Apollon et Diane.

Key facts for Niobé
PropertyValue
HeadwordNiobé
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\ni.o.be\
Letters5
Frequency rank#96,180
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Niobé” 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). Niobé 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

Niobé is uncommon French at frequency #96,180 among 86,328 “N” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed \ni.o.be\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for Niobé in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is Niobé, spelled N-I-O-B-É.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fille de Tantale, épouse d’Amphion, roi de Thèbes, ses sept fils et sept filles furent assassinés par Apollon et Diane.
  2. 2
    71ᵉ astéroïde découvert en 1864 par M. Luther.

This word in other languages

Niobe(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 "Niobé"?
"Niobé" is spelled N-I-O-B-É. The IPA pronunciation is \ni.o.be\.
What does "Niobé" mean?
As a proper noun, "Niobé" means: Fille de Tantale, épouse d’Amphion, roi de Thèbes, ses sept fils et sept filles furent assassinés par Apollon et Diane.
How do you pronounce "Niobé"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Niobé" is \ni.o.be\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Niobé" come from?
"Niobé" 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 “Niobé”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is N-I-O-B-É - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ni.o.be\ (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