joie de vivre

/ˌʒwɑ də ˈviv(ɹə)/

//ˌʒwɑ də ˈviv(ɹə)// noun

"joie-de-vivre" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“joie de vivre” 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) - Enjoyment of living; happiness, ebullience, zest for life.

Corpus desk

Index EN-joie-de-vivre · joie de vivre · English

joie de vivre · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "J" 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 joie de vivre
PropertyValue
Headwordjoie de vivre
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌʒwɑ də ˈviv(ɹə)/
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “joie de vivre” sits in English frequency

joie de vivre falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English 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.

Rare enough to double-check

joie de vivre is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌʒwɑ də ˈviv(ɹə)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Enjoyment of living; happiness, ebullience, zest for life.".

joie de vivre has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French joie de vivre (literally “joy of living”). The correct English form is joie de vivre, spelled J-O-I-E- -D-E- -V-I-V-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Enjoyment of living; happiness, ebullience, zest for life.

Etymology

Borrowed from French joie de vivre (literally “joy of living”).

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "joie de vivre"?
"joie de vivre" is spelled J-O-I-E- -D-E- -V-I-V-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌʒwɑ də ˈviv(ɹə)/.
What does "joie de vivre" mean?
As a noun, "joie de vivre" means: Enjoyment of living; happiness, ebullience, zest for life.
How do you pronounce "joie de vivre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "joie de vivre" is /ˌʒwɑ də ˈviv(ɹə)/. 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 "joie de vivre"?
Borrowed from French joie de vivre (literally “joy of living”). 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.
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