avant-corps
\a.vɑ̃.kɔʁ\
The verdict
“avant-corps” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tout ce qui excède le nu de l’architecture d'un ouvrage.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | avant-corps |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \a.vɑ̃.kɔʁ\ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “avant-corps” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for avant-corps is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \a.vɑ̃.kɔʁ\. 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.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for avant-corps, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is avant-corps, spelled A-V-A-N-T---C-O-R-P-S.
Definition
- 1Tout ce qui excède le nu de l’architecture d'un ouvrage.
- 2Corps de maçonnerie qui est en saillie sur la face d’un bâtiment.
- 3(Mécanique des fluides) La partie d'un corps qui est devant son maître-couple, par opposition à l'arrière-corps. La séparation d'un corps se fait aussi parfois en avant-corps, corps médian et arrière-corps.
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
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Using “avant-corps”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is A-V-A-N-T---C-O-R-P-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \a.vɑ̃.kɔʁ\ (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.