au-dessous

\o də.su\

/\o də.su\/ adv

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

The verdict

“au-dessous” 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
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Plus bas, en bas.

Key facts for au-dessous
PropertyValue
Headwordau-dessous
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\o də.su\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “au-dessous” sits in French frequency

au-dessous 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-dessous is 10 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \o də.su\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for au-dessous in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is au-dessous, spelled A-U---D-E-S-S-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Plus bas, en bas.
  2. 2
    À une température inférieure à zéro degré centigrade.
  3. 3
    Position d'un comédien qui se trouve placé sur la scène devant un meuble ou un objet vis-à-vis du public.

Synonyms

en basen dessous

Antonyms

en hautau-dessus

This word in other languages

underneath(English)abajo(Español)darunter(Deutsch)

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-dessous"?
"au-dessous" is spelled A-U---D-E-S-S-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is \o də.su\.
What does "au-dessous" mean?
As an adverb, "au-dessous" means: Plus bas, en bas.
How do you pronounce "au-dessous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "au-dessous" is \o də.su\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "au-dessous" come from?
"au-dessous" 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-dessous”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is A-U---D-E-S-S-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \o də.su\ (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