à son corps défendant
\a sɔ̃ kɔʁ de.fɑ̃.dɑ̃\
The verdict
“à son corps défendant” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 21
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - En résistant à une attaque.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | à son corps défendant |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | \a sɔ̃ kɔʁ de.fɑ̃.dɑ̃\ |
| Letters | 21 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “à son corps défendant” sits in French frequency
Rare enough to double-check
à son corps défendant is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \a sɔ̃ kɔʁ de.fɑ̃.dɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for à son corps défendant in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is à son corps défendant, spelled À- -S-O-N- -C-O-R-P-S- -D-É-F-E-N-D-A-N-T.
Definition
- 1En résistant à une attaque.
- 2Malgré soi, à regret, à contrecœur, contre son gré, de mauvaise grâce, avec répugnance.
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 “à son corps défendant”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is À- -S-O-N- -C-O-R-P-S- -D-É-F-E-N-D-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \a sɔ̃ kɔʁ de.fɑ̃.dɑ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.