laissez faire
/ˈlæseɪ ˌfɛə(ɹ)/
"laissez-faire" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“laissez faire” 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 policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | laissez faire |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈlæseɪ ˌfɛə(ɹ)/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “laissez faire” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
laissez faire is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlæseɪ ˌfɛə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for laissez faire, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French laissez faire (“leave it be”, literally “let do”). The correct English form is laissez faire, spelled L-A-I-S-S-E-Z- -F-A-I-R-E.
Definition
- 1A policy of governmental non-interference in economic affairs.
- 2A policy of non-interference by authority in any competitive process.
Etymology
Borrowed from French laissez faire (“leave it be”, literally “let do”).
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 “laissez faire”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-A-I-S-S-E-Z- -F-A-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈlæseɪ ˌfɛə(ɹ)/ (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.