tête-à-tête

[tɛtaˈtɛːt]

/[tɛtaˈtɛːt]/ adv

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

The verdict

“tête-à-tête” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - zu zweit, unter vier Augen

Key facts for tête-à-tête
PropertyValue
Headwordtête-à-tête
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdverb
IPA[tɛtaˈtɛːt]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tête-à-tête” sits in German frequency

tête-à-tête falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for tête-à-tête is 11 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [tɛtaˈtɛːt]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "zu zweit, unter vier Augen".

tête-à-tête doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is tête-à-tête, spelled T-Ê-T-E---À---T-Ê-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    zu zweit, unter vier Augen

Synonyms

vertraulich

This word in other languages

tête-à-tête(English)tête-à-tête(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tête-à-tête"?
"tête-à-tête" is spelled T-Ê-T-E---À---T-Ê-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is [tɛtaˈtɛːt].
What does "tête-à-tête" mean?
As an adverb, "tête-à-tête" means: zu zweit, unter vier Augen
How do you pronounce "tête-à-tête"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tête-à-tête" is [tɛtaˈtɛːt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tête-à-tête" come from?
"tête-à-tête" is a German 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 “tête-à-tête”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is T-Ê-T-E---À---T-Ê-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [tɛtaˈtɛːt] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German 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