autour de

\o.tuʁ də\

/\o.tuʁ də\/ prep

The verdict

“autour 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
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui sert à désigner les êtres ou les choses qui sont environnés par d’autres.

Key facts for autour de
PropertyValue
Headwordautour de
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPreposition
IPA\o.tuʁ də\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “autour de” sits in French frequency

autour 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 autour de is 9 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \o.tuʁ də\. 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.

autour de has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is autour de, spelled A-U-T-O-U-R- -D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui sert à désigner les êtres ou les choses qui sont environnés par d’autres.
  2. 2
    Indique aussi le mouvement ou la situation des personnes ou des choses qui environnent.
  3. 3
    Auprès, marque une idée d’attachement, d’assiduité.

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 "autour de"?
"autour de" is spelled A-U-T-O-U-R- -D-E. The IPA pronunciation is \o.tuʁ də\.
What does "autour de" mean?
As a preposition, "autour de" means: Qui sert à désigner les êtres ou les choses qui sont environnés par d’autres.
How do you pronounce "autour de"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "autour de" is \o.tuʁ də\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "autour de" come from?
"autour de" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “autour de”

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

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