pun

\pʌn\

/\pʌn\/ noun

The verdict

“pun” is uncommon French (frequency #67,034 among 248,534 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,034
frequency rank, French
248,534
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Calembour, jeu de mots.

Key facts for pun
PropertyValue
Headwordpun
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pʌn\
Letters3
Frequency rank#67,034
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pun” 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). pun lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pun is uncommon French at frequency #67,034 among 248,534 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \pʌn\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Calembour, jeu de mots.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for pun, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, 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 pun, spelled P-U-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Calembour, jeu de mots.

Synonyms

play on words

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 "pun"?
"pun" is spelled P-U-N. The IPA pronunciation is \pʌn\.
What does "pun" mean?
As a noun, "pun" means: Calembour, jeu de mots.
How do you pronounce "pun"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pun" is \pʌn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pun" come from?
"pun" 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 “pun”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-U-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pʌn\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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