pistolet

\pis.tɔ.lɛ\

/\pis.tɔ.lɛ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“pistolet” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #8,597 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,597
frequency rank, French
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Arme à feu courte et portative.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pistolet vs pistolets
89% similar
pistolet vs pistoles
88% similar

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

Key facts for pistolet
PropertyValue
Headwordpistolet
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pis.tɔ.lɛ\
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,597
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pistolet” 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). pistolet 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 pistolet is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pis.tɔ.lɛ\. Corpus data places it at rank #8,597 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for pistolet, with forms such as "ipstolet", "pisotlet", and "pisstolet". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "pistolets", "pistoles", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, 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 pistolet, spelled P-I-S-T-O-L-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Arme à feu courte et portative.
  2. 2
    Arme de poing fonctionnant par recul du canon et permettant des tirs successifs.
  3. 3
    Tireur utilisant cette arme.
  4. 4
    Arme à feu permettant au starter de donner le signal du départ.
  5. 5
    Nom familier de l’urinal.
  6. 6
    Instrument permettant de contrôler la distribution du carburant à la sortie du tuyau d’une pompe à essence.
  7. 7
    Nom donné par analogie de forme à toutes sortes d'instruments, d'outils, d'appareils, etc. qui se tiennent dans la main et qui s'actionnent avec un ou plusieurs doigts.
  8. 8
    Curvigraphe, instrument de tracé permettant de dessiner les lignes courbes dans les tracés géométriques.
  9. 9
    Bossoir en forme de crosse de pistolet.
  10. 10
    Synonyme de aconit napel (espèce de plantes).
  11. 11
    Homme bizarre, vaguement inquiétant et fantasque.

This word in other languages

pistol(English)pistola(Español)Pistole(Deutsch)pistola(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ipstolet,pisotlet,pisstolet,pistloet,pistoelt,pistolett,pistollet,pistolte,pisttolet,pitsolet,ppistolet,psitolet

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pistolet - 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.

ipstolet2pisotlet2pisstolet1pistloet2pistoelt2pistolett1pistollet1pistolte2
Edit distance from "pistolet"

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 "pistolet"?
"pistolet" is spelled P-I-S-T-O-L-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is \pis.tɔ.lɛ\.
What does "pistolet" mean?
As a noun, "pistolet" means: Arme à feu courte et portative.
What words are commonly confused with "pistolet"?
"pistolet" is commonly confused with "pistolets", "pistoles". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pistolet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pistolet" is \pis.tɔ.lɛ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pistolet" come from?
"pistolet" 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 “pistolet”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-I-S-T-O-L-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pis.tɔ.lɛ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pistolets” - see the side-by-side comparison. pistolet vs pistolets
  • 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