aigre-doux

\ɛ.ɡʁə.du\

/\ɛ.ɡʁə.du\/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“aigre-doux” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui a un goût mêlé d’aigre et de doux. Il ne se dit guère au propre que des fruits.

Corpus desk

Index FR-aigre-doux · aigre-doux · French

aigre-doux · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "A" 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 aigre-doux
PropertyValue
Headwordaigre-doux
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ɛ.ɡʁə.du\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “aigre-doux” sits in French frequency

aigre-doux falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

aigre-doux is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ɛ.ɡʁə.du\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for aigre-doux in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is aigre-doux, spelled A-I-G-R-E---D-O-U-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui a un goût mêlé d’aigre et de doux. Il ne se dit guère au propre que des fruits.
  2. 2
    Ton de la voix et des paroles, du style, dont l’aigreur se fait sentir sous une apparence de douceur.

This word in other languages

sweet-and-sour(English)agridulce(Español)süßsauer(Deutsch)agridoce(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "aigre-doux"?
"aigre-doux" is spelled A-I-G-R-E---D-O-U-X. The IPA pronunciation is \ɛ.ɡʁə.du\.
What does "aigre-doux" mean?
As an adjective, "aigre-doux" means: Qui a un goût mêlé d’aigre et de doux. Il ne se dit guère au propre que des fruits.
How do you pronounce "aigre-doux"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "aigre-doux" is \ɛ.ɡʁə.du\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "aigre-doux" come from?
"aigre-doux" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list