serial killer

\se.ʁjal ki.lœʁ\

/\se.ʁjal ki.lœʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“serial killer” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Meurtrier effectuant des meurtres successifs.

Key facts for serial killer
PropertyValue
Headwordserial killer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\se.ʁjal ki.lœʁ\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “serial killer” sits in French frequency

serial killer falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

serial killer is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \se.ʁjal ki.lœʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Meurtrier effectuant des meurtres successifs.".

No misspelling variants are generated for serial killer in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is serial killer, spelled S-E-R-I-A-L- -K-I-L-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Meurtrier effectuant des meurtres successifs.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "serial killer"?
"serial killer" is spelled S-E-R-I-A-L- -K-I-L-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \se.ʁjal ki.lœʁ\.
What does "serial killer" mean?
As a noun, "serial killer" means: Meurtrier effectuant des meurtres successifs.
How do you pronounce "serial killer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "serial killer" is \se.ʁjal ki.lœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "serial killer" come from?
"serial killer" 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 “serial killer”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-E-R-I-A-L- -K-I-L-L-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \se.ʁjal ki.lœʁ\ (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
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