tipule

\ti.pyl\

/\ti.pyl\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Cousin, insecte qui a l’apparence du moustique, mais qui est beaucoup plus gros et ne pique pas.

Corpus desk

Index FR-tipule · tipule · French

tipule · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for tipule
PropertyValue
Headwordtipule
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ti.pyl\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « tipule » en français

tipulesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

tipule is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ti.pyl\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Cousin, insecte qui a l’apparence du moustique, mais qui est beaucoup plus gros et ne pique pas.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for tipule, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is tipule, spelled T-I-P-U-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Cousin, insecte qui a l’apparence du moustique, mais qui est beaucoup plus gros et ne pique pas.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how tipule appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Les hirondelles détruisent des milliers d’insectes ailés qui ne posent guère, et que nous voyons danser dans les rayons du soleil : cousins, libellules, tipules, mouches, etc.
  2. Parmi les mouches bleues et vertes, de grandes tipules montent et descendent, transparentes, leurs longues pattes traînent dans leur vol.

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 "tipule"?
"tipule" is spelled T-I-P-U-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ti.pyl\.
What does "tipule" mean?
As a noun, "tipule" means: Cousin, insecte qui a l’apparence du moustique, mais qui est beaucoup plus gros et ne pique pas.
How do you pronounce "tipule"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tipule" is \ti.pyl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tipule" come from?
"tipule" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list