tout court

/ˌtuː ˈkɔː/

//ˌtuː ˈkɔː// adv

"tout-court" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tout court” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Just, simply; without addition or qualification; alone.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tout-court · tout court · English

tout court · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" 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 tout court
PropertyValue
Headwordtout court
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˌtuː ˈkɔː/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tout court” in English

tout courtranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tout court is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ˌtuː ˈkɔː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Just, simply; without addition or qualification; alone.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for tout court, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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 tout court. The correct English form is tout court, spelled T-O-U-T- -C-O-U-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Just, simply; without addition or qualification; alone.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how tout court appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Harry was ‘Master Harry’ in their mouths; Judy was officially ‘Miss Judy’; but Black Sheep was never anything more than Black Sheep tout court.
  2. People did not bow down and worship a rock tout court; the rock was simply a focus that directed their attention to the mysterious essence of life.

Etymology

Borrowed from French tout court.

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

How do you spell "tout court"?
"tout court" is spelled T-O-U-T- -C-O-U-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌtuː ˈkɔː/.
What does "tout court" mean?
As an adverb, "tout court" means: Just, simply; without addition or qualification; alone.
How do you pronounce "tout court"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tout court" is /ˌtuː ˈkɔː/. 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 "tout court"?
Borrowed from French tout court. 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list