râteau

\ʁɑ.to\

/\ʁɑ.to\/ noun

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

The verdict

“râteau” has 8 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #33,452. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,452
frequency rank, French
507,453
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Outil constitué d’un manche et d’une barre garnie de dents en fer ou en bois, utilisé pour regrouper des choses dispersées sur le sol (feuilles mortes, gravillons, terre) et pour égaliser un terrain.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

râteau vs rater
50% similar
râteau vs ratée
33% similar
râteau vs ratés
33% similar

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

Key facts for râteau
PropertyValue
Headwordrâteau
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁɑ.to\
Letters6
Frequency rank#33,452
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “râteau” 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). râteau lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around râteau (IPA \ʁɑ.to\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,452 among 507,453 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for râteau, with forms such as "rateau", "rrâteau", and "rtâeau". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "rater", "ratée", "ratés", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is râteau, spelled R-Â-T-E-A-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Outil constitué d’un manche et d’une barre garnie de dents en fer ou en bois, utilisé pour regrouper des choses dispersées sur le sol (feuilles mortes, gravillons, terre) et pour égaliser un terrain.
  2. 2
    Grande traverse à longues dents courbées, parallèle à l’essieu des roues, qui ramasse le foin et se relève pour faire des andains. → voir râteau-faneur
  3. 3
    Plante fourragère, genre Biserrula L.
  4. 4
    Pièce munie de dents séparées.
  5. 5
    Segment de roue dentée du mécanisme de l’avance et du retard dans une montre.
  6. 6
    Garde d’une serrure.
  7. 7
    Raclette à manche avec laquelle le croupier ramasse les mises, les jetons sur les tables de jeu.
  8. 8
    Action de bouger rapidement la barre des milieux dans le but d’empêcher la balle de passer.
  9. 9
    Règle de jeu qui interdit la déviation de la balle jouée par les demis (milieux) adverses avec ses propres demis.
  10. 10
    Diagramme arborescent représentant une suite d’opérations à effectuer.
  11. 11
    Meuble représentant l’outil du même nom dans les armoiries. Il est assez présent en héraldique germanique. Il est généralement représenté avec un manche. Quand le manche est manquant, on parle alors de râteau émanché ou démanché ou de tête de râteau. Il est dit emmanché quand le manche est d’un autre émail. Certains auteurs indiquent que le râteau devrait toujours être représenté sans manche (voir tête de râteau).
  12. 12
    Outil pour jouer les coups distants et servir de chevalet.
  13. 13
    Réponse cinglante à une déclaration d’amour ou une invitation à danser.

This word in other languages

rake(English)rastrillo(Español)Rechen(Deutsch)ancinho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rateau
  • rrâteau
  • rtâeau
  • râetau
  • râtaeu
  • râteua
  • râtteau
  • ârteau

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rateau1rrâteau1rtâeau2râetau2râtaeu2râteua2râtteau1ârteau2
Edit distance from "râteau"

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 "râteau"?
"râteau" is spelled R-Â-T-E-A-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁɑ.to\.
What does "râteau" mean?
As a noun, "râteau" means: Outil constitué d’un manche et d’une barre garnie de dents en fer ou en bois, utilisé pour regrouper des choses dispersées sur le sol (feuilles mortes, gravillons, terre) et pour égaliser un terrain.
What words are commonly confused with "râteau"?
"râteau" is commonly confused with "rater", "ratée", "ratés". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "râteau"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "râteau" is \ʁɑ.to\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "râteau" come from?
"râteau" 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 “râteau”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is R-Â-T-E-A-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁɑ.to\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “rater” - see the side-by-side comparison. râteau vs rater
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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