pelote

\pə.lɔt\

/\pə.lɔt\/ noun

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

The verdict

“pelote” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #31,173 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#31,173
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sorte de boule que l’on forme avec du fil, de la laine, de la soie, etc., en les roulant sur eux-mêmes.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pelote vs pote
67% similar
pelote vs pète
50% similar
pelote vs plot
67% similar

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

Key facts for pelote
PropertyValue
Headwordpelote
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pə.lɔt\
Letters6
Frequency rank#31,173
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pelote” 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). pelote 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 pelote is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pə.lɔt\. Corpus data places it at rank #31,173 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for pelote, with forms such as "eplote", "pellote", and "peloet". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pote", "pète", "plot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, 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 pelote, spelled P-E-L-O-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sorte de boule que l’on forme avec du fil, de la laine, de la soie, etc., en les roulant sur eux-mêmes.
  2. 2
    Petit coussinet servant à y ficher des épingles et des aiguilles.
  3. 3
    Amas de débris alimentaires partiellement digérés que rejettent certains animaux, les rapaces en particulier.
  4. 4
    Marque blanche qui se trouve sur le front de quelques chevaux et que l’on nomme autrement « étoile ».
  5. 5
    Balle du jeu de paume.
  6. 6
    Balle des jeux de pelote basque , sorte de jeu de paume pratiqué au Pays basque, qui se joue avec une balle qu’on lance contre un fronton. → voir pelote basque
  7. 7
    Punition infligée aux soldats fautifs.
  8. 8
    Plat composé de pâte de pommes de terre farcies avec de la viande, souvent du lard ou du porc.

Synonyms

balleboulechisteraragoût de plottespoutine râpéepoutine

This word in other languages

clew(English)ovillo(Español)Knäuel(Deutsch)bola(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eplote,pellote,peloet,pelotte,peltoe,peolte,pleote,ppelote

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pelote - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eplote2pellote1peloet2pelotte1peltoe2peolte2pleote2ppelote1
Edit distance from "pelote"

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 "pelote"?
"pelote" is spelled P-E-L-O-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pə.lɔt\.
What does "pelote" mean?
As a noun, "pelote" means: Sorte de boule que l’on forme avec du fil, de la laine, de la soie, etc., en les roulant sur eux-mêmes.
What words are commonly confused with "pelote"?
"pelote" is commonly confused with "pote", "pète", "plot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pelote"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pelote" is \pə.lɔt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pelote" come from?
"pelote" 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 “pelote”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-E-L-O-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pə.lɔt\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pote” - see the side-by-side comparison. pelote vs pote
  • 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