zombie

\zɔ̃.bi\

/\zɔ̃.bi\/ noun

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

The verdict

“zombie” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #12,286 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,286
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Revenant, mort qui marche ; cadavre victime d’un sortilège vaudou aux Antilles.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

zombie vs zombies
86% similar
zombie vs Zambie
67% similar

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

Key facts for zombie
PropertyValue
Headwordzombie
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\zɔ̃.bi\
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,286
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “zombie” 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). zombie 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 zombie is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \zɔ̃.bi\. Corpus data places it at rank #12,286 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for zombie, with forms such as "ozmbie", "zmobie", and "zobmie". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "zombies", "Zambie", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is zombie, spelled Z-O-M-B-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Revenant, mort qui marche ; cadavre victime d’un sortilège vaudou aux Antilles.
  2. 2
    Dans les fictions populaires à partir du XXᵉ siècle, mort-vivant dont le corps est en état de décomposition, se déplaçant généralement de façon lente et maladroite, et ayant pour principal but de faire des victimes humaines en les transformant à leur tour en zombies par une morsure.
  3. 3
    Personne à l’allure cadavérique ou vide et sans volonté propre.
  4. 4
    Ordinateur contrôlé à l’insu de son propriétaire par un tiers distant, généralement à la suite d’une compromission de sécurité par un cheval de Troie.

This word in other languages

zombie(English)zombi(Español)Zombie(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ozmbie,zmobie,zobmie,zombbie,zombei,zomibe,zommbie,zzombie

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of zombie - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ozmbie2zmobie2zobmie2zombbie1zombei2zomibe2zommbie1zzombie1
Edit distance from "zombie"

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 "zombie"?
"zombie" is spelled Z-O-M-B-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is \zɔ̃.bi\.
What does "zombie" mean?
As a noun, "zombie" means: Revenant, mort qui marche ; cadavre victime d’un sortilège vaudou aux Antilles.
What words are commonly confused with "zombie"?
"zombie" is commonly confused with "zombies", "Zambie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "zombie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zombie" is \zɔ̃.bi\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "zombie" come from?
"zombie" 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 “zombie”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is Z-O-M-B-I-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \zɔ̃.bi\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “zombies” - see the side-by-side comparison. zombie vs zombies
  • 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