Yellowknife

\jɛ.lo.najf\

/\jɛ.lo.najf\/ name

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

The verdict

“Yellowknife” is uncommon French (frequency #88,240 among 5,604 “Y” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,240
frequency rank, French
5,604
“Y” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Capitale des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, au Canada.

Key facts for Yellowknife
PropertyValue
HeadwordYellowknife
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\jɛ.lo.najf\
Letters11
Frequency rank#88,240
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Yellowknife” 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). Yellowknife 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

Yellowknife is uncommon French at frequency #88,240 among 5,604 “Y” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed \jɛ.lo.najf\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for Yellowknife in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology 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 Yellowknife, spelled Y-E-L-L-O-W-K-N-I-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Capitale des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, au Canada.
  2. 2
    Gouvernement des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, basé dans cette ville.

This word in other languages

Yellowknife(English)

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 "Yellowknife"?
"Yellowknife" is spelled Y-E-L-L-O-W-K-N-I-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is \jɛ.lo.najf\.
What does "Yellowknife" mean?
As a proper noun, "Yellowknife" means: Capitale des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, au Canada.
How do you pronounce "Yellowknife"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Yellowknife" is \jɛ.lo.najf\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Yellowknife" come from?
"Yellowknife" 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 “Yellowknife”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is Y-E-L-L-O-W-K-N-I-F-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \jɛ.lo.najf\ (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