commissionaire

/kəˌmɪʃəˈnɛː/

//kəˌmɪʃəˈnɛː// noun

"commissionaire" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“commissionaire” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One entrusted with a (small) commission, such as an errand; especially, an attendant or subordinate employee in a public office, hotel, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-commissionaire · commissionaire · English

commissionaire · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for commissionaire
PropertyValue
Headwordcommissionaire
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˌmɪʃəˈnɛː/
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “commissionaire” in English

commissionairesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

commissionaire is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /kəˌmɪʃəˈnɛː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

commissionaire doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French commissionaire, from Latin commissio. Doublet of commissioner. The correct English form is commissionaire, spelled C-O-M-M-I-S-S-I-O-N-A-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    One entrusted with a (small) commission, such as an errand; especially, an attendant or subordinate employee in a public office, hotel, etc.
  2. 2
    A uniformed doorman.
  3. 3
    An undisclosed agent under European civil law.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how commissionaire appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. When the day came Nick turned up early at the bank and waited under a palm tree in the atrium. People hurried in, nodding to the commissionaire, who still wore a tailcoat and a top hat.

Etymology

Borrowed from French commissionaire, from Latin commissio. Doublet of commissioner.

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 "commissionaire"?
"commissionaire" is spelled C-O-M-M-I-S-S-I-O-N-A-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˌmɪʃəˈnɛː/.
What does "commissionaire" mean?
As a noun, "commissionaire" means: One entrusted with a (small) commission, such as an errand; especially, an attendant or subordinate employee in a public office, hotel, etc.
How do you pronounce "commissionaire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commissionaire" is /kəˌmɪʃəˈnɛː/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "commissionaire"?
Borrowed from French commissionaire, from Latin commissio. Doublet of commissioner. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list