à l’avance

\a l‿a.vɑ̃s\

/\a l‿a.vɑ̃s\/ adv

The verdict

“à l’avance” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Par anticipation.

Corpus desk

Index FR-a-l-avance · à l’avance · French

à l’avance · 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 "À" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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 à l’avance
PropertyValue
Headwordà l’avance
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\a l‿a.vɑ̃s\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « à l’avance » en français

à l’avancesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

à l’avance is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \a l‿a.vɑ̃s\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Par anticipation.".

à l’avance doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is à l’avance, spelled À- -L-’-A-V-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Par anticipation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Cette litière est supposée contenir la mariée, qui toujours est conduite à l’avance au domicile de son mari.
  2. Les sons pré-enregistrés sont stockés dans un échantillonneur que l’on peut pré-programmer à l’avance en fonction des sons que l’on souhaite entendre.

Synonyms

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

How do you spell "à l’avance"?
"à l’avance" is spelled À- -L-’-A-V-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \a l‿a.vɑ̃s\.
What does "à l’avance" mean?
As an adverb, "à l’avance" means: Par anticipation.
How do you pronounce "à l’avance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "à l’avance" is \a l‿a.vɑ̃s\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "à l’avance" come from?
"à l’avance" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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