plateau

\pla.to\

/\pla.to\/ noun

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

The verdict

“plateau” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,328 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,328
frequency rank, French
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Étendue régulièrement plate ou quasi plate.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

plateau vs poteau
71% similar
plateau vs plates
71% similar
plateau vs plateaux
88% similar

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

Key facts for plateau
PropertyValue
Headwordplateau
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pla.to\
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,328
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “plateau” 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). plateau 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 plateau is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pla.to\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,328 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 26 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for plateau, with forms such as "lpateau", "palteau", and "plaetau". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "poteau", "plates", "plateaux", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored 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 plateau, spelled P-L-A-T-E-A-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Étendue régulièrement plate ou quasi plate.
  2. 2
    Partie plane d'une table
  3. 3
    Pièces de bois issues du débit d’un tronc d’arbre par sciages parallèles.
  4. 4
    Scène.
  5. 5
    Endroit où a lieu le tournage du film, en studio avec le décor, ou par extension à l'extérieur. → voir plateau de tournage et photographe de plateau
  6. 6
    Espace d'un studio de télévision destiné à être filmé ou recevoir les techniciens les plus proches.
  7. 7
    Surface relativement plane située à haute ou moyenne altitude, entaillée et bordée de vallées.
  8. 8
    Zone propice à l’exploitation.
  9. 9
    Haut-fond d’une mer ou d’un océan à profondeur régulière.→ voir plateau continental
  10. 10
    Vaste local pourvu d’équipements de base et libre d’aménagements.
  11. 11
    Zone stationnaire d’une fonction. → voir courbe en plateau
  12. 12
    Support d’objets.
  13. 13
    Support de pièces à usiner. → voir plateau diviseur
  14. 14
    Grand plat destiné à servir de la nourriture ou transporter de la vaisselle. → voir plateau de courtoisie, plateau d’argent et sur un plateau
  15. 15
    Bassin d’une balance. → voir faire pencher le plateau de la balance
  16. 16
    Aire de chargement sur un véhicule de transport des marchandises. → voir camion plateau
  17. 17
    Élément que l’on déplie ou pose sur la table pour disposer les pièces. → voir jeu de plateau et plateau de jeu
  18. 18
    Ensemble des éléments présents en cet endroit. → voir plateau de fromage et plateau de fruit de mer
  19. 19
    Acteurs (comédiens, techniciens, …) qui participent à la représentation ou au tournage. → voir en plateau
  20. 20
    Athlètes qui constituent une réunion sportive.
  21. 21
    Rassemblement de jeunes joueurs pour les opposer au cours de petits matchs.
  22. 22
    Partie de l’examen du permis moto, qui se déroule sur une aire aménagée d’obstacles.
  23. 23
    Bureau derrière lequel se tient un officier pendant les tenues. Fonction d’un officier.
  24. 24
    Disque rotatif autour d’un axe. → voir plateau tournant
  25. 25
    Roue dentée actionnée par les pédales et entraînant la chaine.
  26. 26
    Dispositif d’entraînement excentrique.

This word in other languages

stage(English)tablero(Español)Hochebene(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: lpateau,palteau,plaetau,plataeu,plateua,platteau,pllateau,pltaeau,pplateau

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lpateau2palteau2plaetau2plataeu2plateua2platteau1pllateau1pltaeau2
Edit distance from "plateau"

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 "plateau"?
"plateau" is spelled P-L-A-T-E-A-U. The IPA pronunciation is \pla.to\.
What does "plateau" mean?
As a noun, "plateau" means: Étendue régulièrement plate ou quasi plate.
What words are commonly confused with "plateau"?
"plateau" is commonly confused with "poteau", "plates", "plateaux". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "plateau"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "plateau" is \pla.to\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "plateau" come from?
"plateau" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “plateau”

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

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