pilote

\pi.lɔt\

/\pi.lɔt\/ noun

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

The verdict

“pilote” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,490 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,490
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Personne qui aide le capitaine d’un navire à l’entrée d’un port ou dans les passages difficiles ; celui qui gouverne, qui conduit un bâtiment de mer.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pilote vs pote
67% similar
pilote vs plot
67% similar
pilote vs piste
67% similar

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

Key facts for pilote
PropertyValue
Headwordpilote
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pi.lɔt\
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,490
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pilote” 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). pilote 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 pilote is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pi.lɔt\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,490 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 pilote, with forms such as "iplote", "pillote", and "piloet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pote", "plot", "piste", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is pilote, spelled P-I-L-O-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Personne qui aide le capitaine d’un navire à l’entrée d’un port ou dans les passages difficiles ; celui qui gouverne, qui conduit un bâtiment de mer.
  2. 2
    Personne qui conduit un avion, un dirigeable, une voiture de course, etc.
  3. 3
    Logiciel système chargé d’assurer la communication entre le système d’exploitation et un périphérique matériel (→ voir pilote de périphérique).
  4. 4
    Premier épisode de série télévisée utilisé comme test pour prendre la décision définitive du lancement de la série en fonction de l’accueil du public.
  5. 5
    Prototype miniature d’un projet industriel.
  6. 6
    Personne engagée pour guider un journaliste ou un homme d’affaires et pour favoriser ses contacts dans un milieu qui lui est inconnu, voire hostile.

Synonyms

🧑✈️👩✈️👨✈️conducteurfixeur

This word in other languages

pilot(English)Lotse(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iplote,pillote,piloet,pilotte,piltoe,piolte,pliote,ppilote

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pilote - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

iplote2pillote1piloet2pilotte1piltoe2piolte2pliote2ppilote1
Edit distance from "pilote"

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 "pilote"?
"pilote" is spelled P-I-L-O-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pi.lɔt\.
What does "pilote" mean?
As a noun, "pilote" means: Personne qui aide le capitaine d’un navire à l’entrée d’un port ou dans les passages difficiles ; celui qui gouverne, qui conduit un bâtiment de mer.
What words are commonly confused with "pilote"?
"pilote" is commonly confused with "pote", "plot", "piste". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pilote"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pilote" is \pi.lɔt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pilote" come from?
"pilote" 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.

Using “pilote”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-I-L-O-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pi.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. pilote 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