nopal

\nɔ.pal\

/\nɔ.pal\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Autre nom du figuier de Barbarie

Corpus desk

Index FR-nopal · nopal · French

nopal · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "N" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for nopal
PropertyValue
Headwordnopal
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\nɔ.pal\
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « nopal » en français

nopalsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nopal is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \nɔ.pal\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Autre nom du figuier de Barbarie".

nopal has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, 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 nopal, spelled N-O-P-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Autre nom du figuier de Barbarie

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how nopal appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. N’allez pas vous aviser de mettre des arbres dans le paysage : les arbres lui ôteraient tout son caractère espagnol. Je vous permets les aloès et les cactus, nopals, higa chumbera, dont je vous souhaite de manger les fruits.
  2. Des raquettes gigantesques, des nopals monstrueux hérissent ces pentes décharnées et blanchâtres de leurs palettes et de leurs lances couleur de vert-de-gris.

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 "nopal"?
"nopal" is spelled N-O-P-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is \nɔ.pal\.
What does "nopal" mean?
As a noun, "nopal" means: Autre nom du figuier de Barbarie
How do you pronounce "nopal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nopal" is \nɔ.pal\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "nopal" come from?
"nopal" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list