avoir la gueule de bois

\a.vwaʁ la ɡœl də bwa\

/\a.vwaʁ la ɡœl də bwa\/ verb

The verdict

“avoir la gueule de bois” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
23
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Souffrir des effets d’une ivresse récente.

Corpus desk

Index FR-avoir-la-gueule-de-bois · avoir la gueule de bois · French

avoir la gueule de bois · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 23 letters
  • VOW-11 11 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 avoir la gueule de bois
PropertyValue
Headwordavoir la gueule de bois
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\a.vwaʁ la ɡœl də bwa\
Letters23
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « avoir la gueule de bois » en français

avoir la gueule de boisn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

avoir la gueule de bois is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \a.vwaʁ la ɡœl də bwa\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Souffrir des effets d’une ivresse récente.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for avoir la gueule de bois, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is avoir la gueule de bois, spelled A-V-O-I-R- -L-A- -G-U-E-U-L-E- -D-E- -B-O-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Souffrir des effets d’une ivresse récente.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how avoir la gueule de bois appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Mais avoir la gueule de bois c’est aussi infiniment triste lorsqu’on est tout seul, sans une épaule sur laquelle on pourrait verser des larmes qui finalement ne coulent jamais.

Synonyms

avoir la gueule de colasavoir la GDBavoir la g.d.b.avoir la tête dans le culavoir la tête dans le pâtéavoir la tirelire en palissandreavoir le casque à boulonsavoir le tomahawk dans la ganacheavoir les cheveux qui poussent à l’intérieuravoir mal aux cheveuxavoir une barre en travers du crâneavoir une casquette en plombécouter ses cheveux pousser

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 "avoir la gueule de bois"?
"avoir la gueule de bois" is spelled A-V-O-I-R- -L-A- -G-U-E-U-L-E- -D-E- -B-O-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is \a.vwaʁ la ɡœl də bwa\.
What does "avoir la gueule de bois" mean?
As a verb, "avoir la gueule de bois" means: Souffrir des effets d’une ivresse récente.
How do you pronounce "avoir la gueule de bois"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "avoir la gueule de bois" is \a.vwaʁ la ɡœl də bwa\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "avoir la gueule de bois" come from?
"avoir la gueule de bois" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list