au-dessus

\o də.sy\

/\o də.sy\/ adv

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Plus haut que.

Corpus desk

Index FR-au-dessus · au-dessus · French

au-dessus · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 au-dessus
PropertyValue
Headwordau-dessus
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\o də.sy\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « au-dessus » en français

au-dessussiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

au-dessus is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \o də.sy\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for au-dessus, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is au-dessus, spelled A-U---D-E-S-S-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Plus haut que.
  2. 2
    En amont.
  3. 3
    Toute espèce de supériorité, de prééminence, ou d’excès.
  4. 4
    Se dit, dans le sens qui précède, pour marquer une supériorité de nombre, de durée, de valeur, etc.
  5. 5
    Ce dont une personne se dégage, s’affranchit.
  6. 6
    Ce qu’une personne dédaigne ou brave, ce dont elle ne se met point en peine.
  7. 7
    Tant au sens physique qu’au sens moral, ce qui est nuisible en soi, mais dont l’effet ou l’influence ne saurait atteindre la personne ou la chose dont on parle.
  8. 8
    Position d'un comédien qui se trouve placé sur la scène derrière un meuble ou un objet vis-à-vis du public.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how au-dessus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Il a pour ambition de créer une place publique végétalisée, au lieu de l’actuel rond-point, une halle avec mezzanine pour les puces et un immeuble-pont de bureaux et d’hôtellerie-restauration, au-dessus du périphérique.
  2. Au-dessus de ces constructions légères, on avait ménagé des greniers, un fruitier et une chambre de domestique.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list