typhoon

\taɪˈfun\

/\taɪˈfun\/ noun

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

The verdict

“typhoon” is uncommon French (frequency #71,160 among 164,488 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,160
frequency rank, French
164,488
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Typhon, ouragan de l’océan Pacifique Nord-Ouest.

Key facts for typhoon
PropertyValue
Headwordtyphoon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\taɪˈfun\
Letters7
Frequency rank#71,160
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “typhoon” 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). typhoon lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

typhoon is uncommon French at frequency #71,160 among 164,488 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \taɪˈfun\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Typhon, ouragan de l’océan Pacifique Nord-Ouest.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for typhoon, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is typhoon, spelled T-Y-P-H-O-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Typhon, ouragan de l’océan Pacifique Nord-Ouest.

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 "typhoon"?
"typhoon" is spelled T-Y-P-H-O-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \taɪˈfun\.
What does "typhoon" mean?
As a noun, "typhoon" means: Typhon, ouragan de l’océan Pacifique Nord-Ouest.
How do you pronounce "typhoon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "typhoon" is \taɪˈfun\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "typhoon" come from?
"typhoon" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “typhoon”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is T-Y-P-H-O-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \taɪˈfun\ (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

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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