pidgin

\pid.ʒin\

/\pid.ʒin\/ noun

The verdict

“pidgin” 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) - Langage d’origine mixte, rudimentaire et utilisé par des personnes de langues maternelles différentes.

Corpus desk

Index FR-pidgin · pidgin · French

pidgin · 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 pidgin
PropertyValue
Headwordpidgin
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pid.ʒin\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « pidgin » en français

pidginsiège 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

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

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for pidgin, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Our source data has no etymology on file 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 pidgin, spelled P-I-D-G-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Langage d’origine mixte, rudimentaire et utilisé par des personnes de langues maternelles différentes.
  2. 2
    Langage d’origine mixte, sans égards à son niveau de complexité ou l’existence de locuteurs natifs. Sens employé dans les noms de langages.
  3. 3
    Un pidgin précis, indiqué par le contexte.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On appelle généralement pidgin une langue simplifiée, créée à partir d’autres langues, et qui sert de langue véhiculaire pour des fins de commerce, etc.
  2. Aujourd’hui, le pidgin du Nigeria, le nigerian pidgin english, est parlé par des dizaines de millions de gens, et il continue de progresser, mais il est toujours considéré, par les autorités, les universités, etc., comme quelque chose de condamnable.

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 "pidgin"?
"pidgin" is spelled P-I-D-G-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is \pid.ʒin\.
What does "pidgin" mean?
As a noun, "pidgin" means: Langage d’origine mixte, rudimentaire et utilisé par des personnes de langues maternelles différentes.
How do you pronounce "pidgin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pidgin" is \pid.ʒin\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pidgin" come from?
"pidgin" 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