phylum

\fi.lɔm\

/\fi.lɔm\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Embranchement phylogénétique.

Corpus desk

Index FR-phylum · phylum · French

phylum · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" 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 phylum
PropertyValue
Headwordphylum
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fi.lɔm\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « phylum » en français

phylumn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

phylum is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \fi.lɔm\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for phylum, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is phylum, spelled P-H-Y-L-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Embranchement phylogénétique.
  2. 2
    Groupe de langues ayant des similitudes qui indiquent une langue ancestrale d’origine commune.
  3. 3
    Large groupement stable de végétaux distribué dans l’espace.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Depuis cet acte de foi, les opinions se sont à nouveau éparpillées, faisant surtout plonger le phylum des Oréopithecidae (dont on a reconnu des formes dans le miocène d’Afrique orientale) au plus profond des origines catarrhiniennes; c'est une solution d'attente confortable que connaissent (bien) les paléontologistes.
  2. Le Cambrien (-542 à -488 millions d’années) correspond à un véritable « bigbang^([sic]) évolutif » caractérisé par l’apparition, en un laps de temps relativement bref, de tous les grands phylums animaux, mais aussi par la mise en place d’écosystèmes complexes.

Synonyms

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 "phylum"?
"phylum" is spelled P-H-Y-L-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is \fi.lɔm\.
What does "phylum" mean?
As a noun, "phylum" means: Embranchement phylogénétique.
How do you pronounce "phylum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "phylum" is \fi.lɔm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "phylum" come from?
"phylum" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list