avant tout

\a.vɑ̃ tu\

/\a.vɑ̃ tu\/ adv

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Prioritairement ; en premier lieu ; avant toute chose.

Corpus desk

Index FR-avant-tout · avant tout · French

avant tout · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 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 avant tout
PropertyValue
Headwordavant tout
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\a.vɑ̃ tu\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « avant tout » en français

avant toutsiège 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

avant tout is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \a.vɑ̃ tu\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for avant tout in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is avant tout, spelled A-V-A-N-T- -T-O-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prioritairement ; en premier lieu ; avant toute chose.
  2. 2
    Définition manquante ou à compléter. (Ajouter)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. La santé, ça passe avant tout.
  2. Entre 1939 et 1942, les blitzkriegs successifs de la Wehrmacht exploitèrent, avant tout, un effet psychologique.

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 "avant tout"?
"avant tout" is spelled A-V-A-N-T- -T-O-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is \a.vɑ̃ tu\.
What does "avant tout" mean?
As an adverb, "avant tout" means: Prioritairement ; en premier lieu ; avant toute chose.
How do you pronounce "avant tout"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "avant tout" is \a.vɑ̃ tu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "avant tout" come from?
"avant tout" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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