Ilet

Ilet is a term used in French-speaking coastal toponymy to denote a small island, or islet. It derives from the French word île (island) with the diminutive suffix -et, producing îlet. In standard French, the circumflex diacritic is part of the correct spelling; in Anglophone usage, the form may appear without the accent as Ilet.

Geographic usage and scope. The word is employed in the names of small offshore landforms in various Francophone regions, particularly in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. In the Caribbean, it appears in numerous island names associated with Guadeloupe, Martinique, and surrounding territories; in the Indian Ocean, it appears in places around Réunion, Mauritius, and nearby islands. These îlets are often small, sometimes uninhabited, and may be designated as protected areas, nature reserves, or tourist locales. The term functions as part of a proper place name rather than a separate geographical category in everyday French.

Orthography and variants. The standard French spelling uses îlet, with the circumflex over the first i. When rendered in non-accented contexts or in English-language maps, it is common to see Ilet. The usage reflects the broader French practice of incorporating islets into compound place names to convey their diminutive size relative to nearby larger islands.

See also. Île, islet, toponymy, list of Caribbean islands.