survol

\syʁ.vɔl\

/\syʁ.vɔl\/ noun

The verdict

“survol” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #22,426 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#22,426
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action de voler au-dessus d'un endroit.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

survol vs survolé
86% similar
survol vs survoler
75% similar
survol vs survie
67% similar

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

Key facts for survol
PropertyValue
Headwordsurvol
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\syʁ.vɔl\
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,426
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “survol” 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). survol 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 survol is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \syʁ.vɔl\. Corpus data places it at rank #22,426 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for survol, with forms such as "sruvol", "ssurvol", and "surovl". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "survolé", "survoler", "survie", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is survol, spelled S-U-R-V-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action de voler au-dessus d'un endroit.
  2. 2
    Passage d'un engin spatial à proximité d'un astre sans capture par ce dernier.
  3. 3
    Regard rapide et superficiel sur un sujet.
  4. 4
    Exploration rapide sur écran, sans possibilité de modification, du contenu d’une mémoire.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sruvol,ssurvol,surovl,surrvol,survlo,survoll,survvol,suvrol,usrvol

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sruvol2ssurvol1surovl2surrvol1survlo2survoll1survvol1suvrol2
Edit distance from "survol"

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 "survol"?
"survol" is spelled S-U-R-V-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is \syʁ.vɔl\.
What does "survol" mean?
As a noun, "survol" means: Action de voler au-dessus d'un endroit.
What words are commonly confused with "survol"?
"survol" is commonly confused with "survolé", "survoler", "survie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "survol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "survol" is \syʁ.vɔl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "survol" come from?
"survol" 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 “survol”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-U-R-V-O-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \syʁ.vɔl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “survolé” - see the side-by-side comparison. survol vs survolé
  • 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