pigeon

\pi.ʒɔ̃\

/\pi.ʒɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“pigeon” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #11,634 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,634
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Oiseau de la famille des columbidés vivant en plaine et dans les villes, et se nourrissant principalement de graines.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pigeon vs pion
67% similar
pigeon vs piges
67% similar
pigeon vs pilon
67% similar

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

Key facts for pigeon
PropertyValue
Headwordpigeon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pi.ʒɔ̃\
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,634
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pigeon” 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). pigeon 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 pigeon is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pi.ʒɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #11,634 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 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 pigeon, with forms such as "ipgeon", "pgieon", and "piegon". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "pion", "piges", "pilon", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is pigeon, spelled P-I-G-E-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Oiseau de la famille des columbidés vivant en plaine et dans les villes, et se nourrissant principalement de graines.
  2. 2
    Pigeon voyageur.
  3. 3
    Nom donné à trois genres d'oiseaux bien définis au sein de l'ordre des columbiformes, appellation qui a fait l'objet d'une normalisation par des ornithologues francophones, et dont la liste des espèces pertinentes est donnée plus bas (cf. "hyponymes"); de façon générale, on nomme pigeon tout oiseau du genre Columba par voie de préséance puisqu'il s'agit de celui dont toutes les races d'élevage descendent (et plus précisément, le pigeon biset, Columba livia), ainsi que les deux genres très voisins Patagioenas (les 'Columba" du Nouveau Monde) et Nesoenas (les "Columba" des îles Mascareignes).→ voir columbidés
  4. 4
    Personne à qui l’on joue un tour, que l’on escroque ou dupe.
  5. 5
    Cible de ball-trap.
  6. 6
    Meuble représentant l’animal du même nom dans les armoiries. Il est généralement représenté de profil, ailes repliées. Il peut adopter différentes couleurs mais on parlera plutôt de colombe quand il est d’argent ou de tourterelle quand il est de sable mais il ne s’agit pas d'une règle bien établie. Il y a donc un risque de confusion entre ces différents oiseaux.
  7. 7
    Torpille aérienne à ailettes française.
  8. 8
    Clou à quatre pointes.
  9. 9
    Poignée de plâtre pressée dans la main avec une truelle, elle à la taille et la couleur de l’oiseau éponyme. → voir pigeonnage  ^([1])

Synonyms

rat volant

This word in other languages

pigeon(English)paloma(Español)Taube(Deutsch)pombo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ipgeon,pgieon,piegon,pigeno,pigeonn,piggeon,pigoen,ppigeon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ipgeon2pgieon2piegon2pigeno2pigeonn1piggeon1pigoen2ppigeon1
Edit distance from "pigeon"

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 "pigeon"?
"pigeon" is spelled P-I-G-E-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \pi.ʒɔ̃\.
What does "pigeon" mean?
As a noun, "pigeon" means: Oiseau de la famille des columbidés vivant en plaine et dans les villes, et se nourrissant principalement de graines.
What words are commonly confused with "pigeon"?
"pigeon" is commonly confused with "pion", "piges", "pilon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pigeon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pigeon" is \pi.ʒɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pigeon" come from?
"pigeon" 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 “pigeon”

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

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