rappel

\ʁa.pɛl\

/\ʁa.pɛl\/ noun

The verdict

“rappel” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,099 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,099
frequency rank, French
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action par laquelle on rappelle, on fait revenir quelqu’un.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

rappel vs Ravel
50% similar
rappel vs Raquel
50% similar
rappel vs rapper
83% similar

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

Key facts for rappel
PropertyValue
Headwordrappel
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁa.pɛl\
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,099
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rappel” 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). rappel 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 rappel is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁa.pɛl\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,099 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 13 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 rappel, with forms such as "arppel", "rapel", and "rapepl". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Ravel", "Raquel", "rapper", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is rappel, spelled R-A-P-P-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action par laquelle on rappelle, on fait revenir quelqu’un.
  2. 2
    Action de pardonner et de faire revenir, en parlant de ceux qui ont été disgraciés ou exilés.
  3. 3
    Acclamations que l’on fait aux acteurs ou autres artistes pour les faire revenir sur la scène et les applaudir.
  4. 4
    Réclamation pour exiger le respect des obligations, des règles ou des lois
  5. 5
    Action de faire revenir à la mémoire de quelqu’un.
  6. 6
    Manière de battre le tambour pour rassembler une troupe.
  7. 7
    Action d’accorder et de payer à quelqu’un des appointements qui étaient restés en suspens, ou bien lorsque, après avoir payé une somme à quelqu’un, il y a lieu, d’après une décision on une vérification ultérieure, de lui payer quelque chose de plus.
  8. 8
    Action de ramener à la position initiale.
  9. 9
    Action de faire revenir une idée, un motif, un thème musical, une couleur.
  10. 10
    En reconnaissance des formes et recherche documentaire, fraction des retours pertinents potentiels qui sont obtenus.
  11. 11
    Descente d'une pente à l'aide de cordes.
  12. 12
    Nouvelle dose de vaccin administrée afin de renforcer la réponse immunitaire.
  13. 13
    Mesure organisant le retour chez le producteur ou l’importateur d’un produit présentant un danger, y compris s’il est déjà chez l’utilisateur final.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: arppel,rapel,rapepl,rappell,rapple,rpapel,rrappel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rappel - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

arppel2rapel1rapepl2rappell1rapple2rpapel2rrappel1
Edit distance from "rappel"

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 "rappel"?
"rappel" is spelled R-A-P-P-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁa.pɛl\.
What does "rappel" mean?
As a noun, "rappel" means: Action par laquelle on rappelle, on fait revenir quelqu’un.
What words are commonly confused with "rappel"?
"rappel" is commonly confused with "Ravel", "Raquel", "rapper". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rappel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rappel" is \ʁa.pɛl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "rappel" come from?
"rappel" 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 “rappel”

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

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