PCB

\pe.se.be\

/\pe.se.be\/ noun

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

The verdict

“PCB” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #45,779) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#45,779
frequency rank, French
248,534
“P” headwords
20
confusable pairs

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

PCB vs pu
0% similar
PCB vs PS
33% similar
PCB vs PQ
33% similar

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

Key facts for PCB
PropertyValue
HeadwordPCB
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pe.se.be\
Letters3
Frequency rank#45,779
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “PCB” 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). PCB lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for PCB is neighbouring look-alikes ("pu", "PS", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced \pe.se.be\. Frequency #45,779 among 248,534 “P” headwords. 4 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No generated misspelling entries exist for PCB in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pu", "PS", "PQ", 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 best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is PCB, spelled P-C-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    Polychlorobiphényle.
  2. 2
    Circuit imprimé.
  3. 3
    Bloc de contrôle de processus : structure de données du noyau d'un système d’exploitation représentant l’état d’un processus donné.
  4. 4
    Quantité de pièce d'un conditionnement, très utilisé notamment dans le domaine alimentaire sec.

Synonyms

pyralène

This word in other languages

PCB(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 "PCB"?
"PCB" is spelled P-C-B. The IPA pronunciation is \pe.se.be\.
What does "PCB" mean?
As a noun, "PCB" means: Polychlorobiphényle.
What words are commonly confused with "PCB"?
"PCB" is commonly confused with "pu", "PS", "PQ". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "PCB"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "PCB" is \pe.se.be\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "PCB" come from?
"PCB" 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 “PCB”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-C-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pe.se.be\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pu” - see the side-by-side comparison. PCB vs pu
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Words at a similar French frequency

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