au sens figuré

\o sɑ̃s fi.ɡy.ʁe\

/\o sɑ̃s fi.ɡy.ʁe\/ adv

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Par image, par métaphore et non pas au sens premier.

Key facts for au sens figuré
PropertyValue
Headwordau sens figuré
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\o sɑ̃s fi.ɡy.ʁe\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “au sens figuré” sits in French frequency

au sens figuré 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.

Rare enough to double-check

au sens figuré is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \o sɑ̃s fi.ɡy.ʁe\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Par image, par métaphore et non pas au sens premier.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for au sens figuré in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

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 sens figuré, spelled A-U- -S-E-N-S- -F-I-G-U-R-É.

Definition

  1. 1
    Par image, par métaphore et non pas au sens premier.

Antonyms

au sens propreau propre

This word in other languages

metaforicamente(Português)

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 sens figuré"?
"au sens figuré" is spelled A-U- -S-E-N-S- -F-I-G-U-R-É. The IPA pronunciation is \o sɑ̃s fi.ɡy.ʁe\.
What does "au sens figuré" mean?
As an adverb, "au sens figuré" means: Par image, par métaphore et non pas au sens premier.
How do you pronounce "au sens figuré"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "au sens figuré" is \o sɑ̃s fi.ɡy.ʁe\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "au sens figuré" come from?
"au sens figuré" 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 sens figuré”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is A-U- -S-E-N-S- -F-I-G-U-R-É - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \o sɑ̃s fi.ɡy.ʁe\ (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