poteau

\pɔ.to\

/\pɔ.to\/ noun

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

The verdict

“poteau” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #7,218 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,218
frequency rank, French
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pièce de bois de charpente, posée debout.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

poteau vs potes
67% similar
poteau vs préau
50% similar
poteau vs puceau
67% similar

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

Key facts for poteau
PropertyValue
Headwordpoteau
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pɔ.to\
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,218
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poteau” 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). poteau 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 poteau is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pɔ.to\. Corpus data places it at rank #7,218 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for poteau, with forms such as "opteau", "poetau", and "potaeu". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "potes", "préau", "puceau", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, 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 poteau, spelled P-O-T-E-A-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pièce de bois de charpente, posée debout.
  2. 2
    Grosse et longue pièce de bois posée droit en terre et servant à divers usages.
  3. 3
    Haute pièce de bois ou de fer, généralement surmontée d’un disque, qui marque le terme d’une course.
  4. 4
    Une des deux pièces verticales du cadre d'un filet, notamment au hockey ou au football/soccer.
  5. 5
    Coup au but frappant un des poteaux du filet au lieu d’entrer dans le but.
  6. 6
    Les poteaux : Le but, dans certains sports comme le hockey ou le football/soccer.
  7. 7
    Compagnon d'affaire ou de loisir ; pote.
  8. 8
    Ellipse de poteau d'exécution.
  9. 9
    Personne de confiance qui informe les travailleurs de rue sur ce qui se passe dans la rue.
  10. 10
    Candidat poteau : Personne mise en candidature dans une circonscription où on sait qu’elle n’a pratiquement aucune chance d’être élue, uniquement pour veiller à ce que le parti ait un candidat dans cette circonscription.

Synonyms

poteau d'arrivée

This word in other languages

stake(English)poste(Español)Pfeiler(Deutsch)mourão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opteau,poetau,potaeu,poteua,potteau,ppoteau,ptoeau

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opteau2poetau2potaeu2poteua2potteau1ppoteau1ptoeau2
Edit distance from "poteau"

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 "poteau"?
"poteau" is spelled P-O-T-E-A-U. The IPA pronunciation is \pɔ.to\.
What does "poteau" mean?
As a noun, "poteau" means: Pièce de bois de charpente, posée debout.
What words are commonly confused with "poteau"?
"poteau" is commonly confused with "potes", "préau", "puceau". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poteau"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poteau" is \pɔ.to\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "poteau" come from?
"poteau" 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 “poteau”

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

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