au-dessus

\o də.sy\

/\o də.sy\/ adv

The verdict

“au-dessus” 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
9
letters

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

Key facts for au-dessus
PropertyValue
Headwordau-dessus
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\o də.sy\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “au-dessus” sits in French frequency

au-dessus 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-dessus is 9 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \o də.sy\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “au-dessus”

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

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