pilule
\pi.lyl\
The verdict
“pilule” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #8,907 in French word frequency and used as a noun.
- #8,907
- frequency rank, French
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Forme pharmaceutique en forme de petite boule, qu’on avale ; comprimé.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pilule |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \pi.lyl\ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #8,907 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pilule” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for pilule is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pi.lyl\. Corpus data places it at rank #8,907 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 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 pilule, with forms such as "iplule", "pillue", and "pillule". 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, "pluie", "poule", "pique", 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 easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is pilule, spelled P-I-L-U-L-E.
Definition
- 1Forme pharmaceutique en forme de petite boule, qu’on avale ; comprimé.
- 2Produit, en forme de comprimé, qui est un des moyens de contraception pour la femme.
- 3Idée difficile à accepter, action difficile à faire.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: iplule,pillue,pillule,piluel,pilulle,piulle,pliule,ppilule
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pilule - 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.
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 "pilule"?
What does "pilule" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "pilule"?
How do you pronounce "pilule"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “pilule”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is P-I-L-U-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \pi.lyl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “pluie” - see the side-by-side comparison. pilule vs pluie
- 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.