grande dame
/ˌɡɹɒ̃ ˈdɑːm/
"grande-dame" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“grande dame” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A woman who is high-ranking, socially prominent, or has a dignified character, especially one who is advanced in age and haughty.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | grande dame |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌɡɹɒ̃ ˈdɑːm/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “grande dame” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
grande dame is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɡɹɒ̃ ˈdɑːm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
grande dame has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French grande dame, from grande (the feminine form of grand (“great, grand”)) + dame (“lady”). Doublet of grandam. The plural form grandes dames is borrowed from French grandes dames. The correct English form is grande dame, spelled G-R-A-N-D-E- -D-A-M-E.
Definition
- 1A woman who is high-ranking, socially prominent, or has a dignified character, especially one who is advanced in age and haughty.
- 2A woman who is accomplished and influential, and is a respected senior figure in a particular field; a doyenne.
- 3A very highly regarded and well-known institution or structure, or large conveyance such as a ship.
Etymology
Borrowed from French grande dame, from grande (the feminine form of grand (“great, grand”)) + dame (“lady”). Doublet of grandam. The plural form grandes dames is borrowed from French grandes dames.
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 “grande dame”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-R-A-N-D-E- -D-A-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɡɹɒ̃ ˈdɑːm/ (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.