zéro

\ze.ʁo\

/\ze.ʁo\/ adj

The verdict

“zéro” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,655 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#2,655
frequency rank, French
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vide, sans aucun élément.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

zéro vs zo
50% similar
zéro vs zoo
50% similar
zéro vs zur
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for zéro
PropertyValue
Headwordzéro
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ze.ʁo\
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,655
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zéro” 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). zéro lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for zéro is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ze.ʁo\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,655 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for zéro, with forms such as "zero", "zréo", and "zzéro". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "zo", "zoo", "zur", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is zéro, spelled Z-É-R-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vide, sans aucun élément.
  2. 2
    Point de départ dans une échelle graduée ou dans une série numérotée.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: zero,zréo,zzéro,zéor,zérro,ézro

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of zéro - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

zero1zréo2zzéro1zéor2zérro1ézro2
Edit distance from "zéro"

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 "zéro"?
"zéro" is spelled Z-É-R-O. The IPA pronunciation is \ze.ʁo\.
What does "zéro" mean?
As an adjective, "zéro" means: Vide, sans aucun élément.
What words are commonly confused with "zéro"?
"zéro" is commonly confused with "zo", "zoo", "zur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "zéro"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zéro" is \ze.ʁo\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zéro" come from?
"zéro" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “zéro”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is Z-É-R-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ze.ʁo\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “zo” - see the side-by-side comparison. zéro vs zo
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list