au bout du compte

\o bu dy kɔ̃t\

/\o bu dy kɔ̃t\/ adv

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

The verdict

“au bout du compte” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
17
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tout considéré ; après tout.

Key facts for au bout du compte
PropertyValue
Headwordau bout du compte
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\o bu dy kɔ̃t\
Letters17
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “au bout du compte” sits in French frequency

au bout du compte 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for au bout du compte is 17 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \o bu dy kɔ̃t\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Tout considéré ; après tout.".

au bout du compte doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is au bout du compte, spelled A-U- -B-O-U-T- -D-U- -C-O-M-P-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tout considéré ; après tout.

Synonyms

en fin de compteen sommesomme toute

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 "au bout du compte"?
"au bout du compte" is spelled A-U- -B-O-U-T- -D-U- -C-O-M-P-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \o bu dy kɔ̃t\.
What does "au bout du compte" mean?
As an adverb, "au bout du compte" means: Tout considéré ; après tout.
How do you pronounce "au bout du compte"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "au bout du compte" is \o bu dy kɔ̃t\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "au bout du compte" come from?
"au bout du compte" 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.

Using “au bout du compte”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is A-U- -B-O-U-T- -D-U- -C-O-M-P-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \o bu dy kɔ̃t\ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list