à la mode

\a la mɔd\

/\a la mɔd\/ adv

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Selon les goûts ou les mœurs du moment.

Corpus desk

Index FR-a-la-mode · à la mode · French

à la mode · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 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 la mode
PropertyValue
Headwordà la mode
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\a la mɔd\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « à la mode » en français

à la modereste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

à la mode is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \a la mɔd\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

à la mode doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is à la mode, spelled À- -L-A- -M-O-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Selon les goûts ou les mœurs du moment.
  2. 2
    À la mode de ; à la manière de.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Jamais les fleurs naturelles n'ont été plus à la mode que maintenant, et nos appartements ressemblent à des jardins; […].
  2. C'était le mercredi 15 novembre de l'an de grâce 1665. Ce soir-là, il y avait petit souper et grande compagnie, rue Vieille-du-Temple, chez La Vienne, le baigneur à la mode, l'étuviste en renom, le barbier du monde élégant.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 la mode"?
"à la mode" is spelled À- -L-A- -M-O-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is \a la mɔd\.
What does "à la mode" mean?
As an adverb, "à la mode" means: Selon les goûts ou les mœurs du moment.
How do you pronounce "à la mode"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "à la mode" is \a la mɔd\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "à la mode" come from?
"à la mode" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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