radical

\ʁa.di.kal\

/\ʁa.di.kal\/ adj

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

The verdict

“radical” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #6,017 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#6,017
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui vise à agir sur la cause profonde des effets qu’on veut modifier.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

radical vs radicale
88% similar
radical vs radicaux
75% similar
radical vs radicales
78% similar

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

Key facts for radical
PropertyValue
Headwordradical
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ʁa.di.kal\
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,017
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “radical” 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). radical 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 radical is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁa.di.kal\. Corpus data places it at rank #6,017 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 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for radical, with forms such as "ardical", "radcial", and "raddical". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "radicale", "radicaux", "radicales", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is radical, spelled R-A-D-I-C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui vise à agir sur la cause profonde des effets qu’on veut modifier.
  2. 2
    Ce qui a rapport au principe d’une chose, à son essence.
  3. 3
    Fondamental.
  4. 4
    Qui fait table rase du passé, qui révolutionne.
  5. 5
    Qui est absolu, qui va jusqu’au bout de ses opinions.
  6. 6
    Qui est sans nuances.
  7. 7
    Qui préconise l’application intégrale de certains principes ou qui veut les faire appliquer à tous les aspects de la vie sociale et politique.
  8. 8
    Relatif à un mouvement politique de centre-gauche.
  9. 9
    En rapport avec la racine du mot.
  10. 10
    En rapport avec une racine, carrée ou d'ordre plus grand, d’un nombre.
  11. 11
    Relatif à la racine ; qui s'attache à la racine ; qui ressemble à une racine.

Synonyms

absoluintransigeantjusqu’au-boutiste

This word in other languages

radical(English)radical(Español)radical(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ardical,radcial,raddical,radiacl,radicall,radiccal,radicla,raidcal,rdaical,rradical

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ardical2radcial2raddical1radiacl2radicall1radiccal1radicla2raidcal2
Edit distance from "radical"

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 "radical"?
"radical" is spelled R-A-D-I-C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁa.di.kal\.
What does "radical" mean?
As an adjective, "radical" means: Qui vise à agir sur la cause profonde des effets qu’on veut modifier.
What words are commonly confused with "radical"?
"radical" is commonly confused with "radicale", "radicaux", "radicales". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "radical"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "radical" is \ʁa.di.kal\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "radical" come from?
"radical" 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 “radical”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is R-A-D-I-C-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁa.di.kal\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “radicale” - see the side-by-side comparison. radical vs radicale
  • 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