totem
\tɔ.tɛm\
The verdict
“totem” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #23,713 in French word frequency and used as a noun.
- #23,713
- frequency rank, French
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Aïeul animal ou végétal dans la cosmogonie totémique.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | totem |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \tɔ.tɛm\ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #23,713 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “totem” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for totem is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \tɔ.tɛm\. Corpus data places it at rank #23,713 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 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 totem, with forms such as "ottem", "toetm", and "totemm". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tte", "toto", "toute", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is totem, spelled T-O-T-E-M.
Definition
- 1Aïeul animal ou végétal dans la cosmogonie totémique.
- 2Objet rituel présent dans différentes sociétés traditionnelles dans le monde, qui peut servir comme emblème d'un groupe de personnes comme une famille, un clan ou une tribu.
- 3Mascotte.
- 4Animal offert à un scout par ses « chefs » (animateurs) se rapportant aux qualités physiques ou morales de l’animé.
- 5Dispositif publicitaire de forme générale verticale généralement tendue par une structure composée d’un mât et d’un pied.
- 6Symbole célèbre.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ottem,toetm,totemm,totme,tottem,ttoem,ttotem
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of totem - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "totem"?
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Using “totem”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is T-O-T-E-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \tɔ.tɛm\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “tte” - see the side-by-side comparison. totem vs tte
- 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.