unicorn

\ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn\

/\ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn\/ noun

The verdict

“unicorn” is uncommon French (frequency #82,555 among 44,794 “U” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,555
frequency rank, French
44,794
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Licorne ; quadrupède fabuleux, ressemblant à une biche portant une corne au milieu du front, à queue de lion et barbiche de chèvre, dont il est souvent question dans les bestiaires et les légendes ...

Key facts for unicorn
PropertyValue
Headwordunicorn
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn\
Letters7
Frequency rank#82,555
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “unicorn” 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). unicorn 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

unicorn is uncommon French at frequency #82,555 among 44,794 “U” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for unicorn, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is unicorn, spelled U-N-I-C-O-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Licorne ; quadrupède fabuleux, ressemblant à une biche portant une corne au milieu du front, à queue de lion et barbiche de chèvre, dont il est souvent question dans les bestiaires et les légendes du Moyen Âge.
  2. 2
    Licorne, startup évaluée à plus d’un milliard de dollars et qui est financée par un fonds de capital-risque.
  3. 3
    Représentation d’un tel animal qu’on trouve surtout dans les ornements extérieurs de l’écu, comme dans les armes de Grande-Bretagne et d’Écosse.
  4. 4
    Dans différentes traductions de la Bible, utilisées pour rendre le latin unicornis ou rhinoceros (traduisant l’hébreu רְאֵם) ; bœuf sauvage ou re’em.

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 "unicorn"?
"unicorn" is spelled U-N-I-C-O-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn\.
What does "unicorn" mean?
As a noun, "unicorn" means: Licorne ; quadrupède fabuleux, ressemblant à une biche portant une corne au milieu du front, à queue de lion et barbiche de chèvre, dont il est souvent question dans les bestiaires et les légendes ...
How do you pronounce "unicorn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "unicorn" is \ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "unicorn" come from?
"unicorn" 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 “unicorn”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is U-N-I-C-O-R-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈjuː.nɪ.kɔːn\ (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