coup de grâce
/kuː də ɡɹɑs/
"coup-de-grace" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“coup de grâce” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | coup de grâce |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /kuː də ɡɹɑs/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “coup de grâce” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
coup de grâce is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /kuː də ɡɹɑs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
coup de grâce has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Late 17th century. Borrowed from French coup de grâce (“finishing blow”). Originally referring to a merciful stroke putting a fatally wounded person out of misery or to the shot delivered to the head of a prisoner after facing a firing squad. The correct English form is coup de grâce, spelled C-O-U-P- -D-E- -G-R-Â-C-E.
Definition
- 1A final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal.
- 2A remarkable finishing action.
Etymology
Late 17th century. Borrowed from French coup de grâce (“finishing blow”). Originally referring to a merciful stroke putting a fatally wounded person out of misery or to the shot delivered to the head of a prisoner after facing a firing squad.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “coup de grâce”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-U-P- -D-E- -G-R-Â-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kuː də ɡɹɑs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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.