lapalissade
/ləˌpælɪˈsɑːd/
"lapalissade" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lapalissade” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An obvious, self-evident truth, especially humorously so; a tautology or truism.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lapalissade |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ləˌpælɪˈsɑːd/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lapalissade” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for lapalissade is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ləˌpælɪˈsɑːd/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "An obvious, self-evident truth, especially humorously so; a tautology or truism.".
Zero misspellings are on record for lapalissade in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French lapalissade, equivalent to Jacques de la Palice (a French nobleman and military officer) + -ade; see Lapalissian for more. The correct English form is lapalissade, spelled L-A-P-A-L-I-S-S-A-D-E.
Definition
- 1An obvious, self-evident truth, especially humorously so; a tautology or truism.
Etymology
From French lapalissade, equivalent to Jacques de la Palice (a French nobleman and military officer) + -ade; see Lapalissian for more.
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 “lapalissade”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-A-P-A-L-I-S-S-A-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ləˌpælɪˈsɑːd/ (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.