papilles

\pa.pij\

/\pa.pij\/ noun

The verdict

“papilles” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #25,070 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#25,070
frequency rank, French
8
letters
10
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pluriel de papille.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

papilles vs pillés
63% similar
papilles vs pupille
75% similar
papilles vs papillon
75% similar

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

Key facts for papilles
PropertyValue
Headwordpapilles
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pa.pij\
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,070
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “papilles” 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). papilles lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for papilles is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pa.pij\. Corpus data places it at rank #25,070 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Pluriel de papille.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for papilles, with forms such as "appilles", "paiplles", and "papilels". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "pillés", "pupille", "papillon", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is papilles, spelled P-A-P-I-L-L-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pluriel de papille.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: appilles,paiplles,papilels,papiles,papilless,papillse,papliles,pappilles,ppailles,ppapilles

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of papilles - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

appilles2paiplles2papilels2papiles1papilless1papillse2papliles2pappilles1
Edit distance from "papilles"

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 "papilles"?
"papilles" is spelled P-A-P-I-L-L-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is \pa.pij\.
What does "papilles" mean?
As a noun, "papilles" means: Pluriel de papille.
What words are commonly confused with "papilles"?
"papilles" is commonly confused with "pillés", "pupille", "papillon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "papilles"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "papilles" is \pa.pij\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "papilles" come from?
"papilles" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “papilles”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-A-P-I-L-L-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pa.pij\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pillés” - see the side-by-side comparison. papilles vs pillés
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list