au-dessous de

\o də.su də\

/\o də.su də\/ prep

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

The verdict

“au-dessous de” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a preposition - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

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

Key facts for au-dessous de
PropertyValue
Headwordau-dessous de
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPreposition
IPA\o də.su də\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “au-dessous de” sits in French frequency

au-dessous de 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 de is 13 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \o də.su də\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for au-dessous de, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is au-dessous de, spelled A-U---D-E-S-S-O-U-S- -D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Plus bas que.
  2. 2
    S’emploie encore figurément pour exprimer Toute espèce d’infériorité, de subordination.
  3. 3
    Infériorité de nombre, de durée, de valeur, etc.
  4. 4
    …

Antonyms

au-dessus de

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

Using “au-dessous de”

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- -D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \o də.su də\ (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