bateau-feu

\ba.to fø\

/\ba.to fø\/ noun

The verdict

“bateau-feu” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. 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) - Sorte de bateau qui remplit, en pleine mer, une fonction de phare.

Corpus desk

Index FR-bateau-feu · bateau-feu · French

bateau-feu · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "B" 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 bateau-feu
PropertyValue
Headwordbateau-feu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ba.to fø\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « bateau-feu » en français

bateau-feureste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

bateau-feu is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ba.to fø\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Sorte de bateau qui remplit, en pleine mer, une fonction de phare.".

bateau-feu doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, 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 bateau-feu, spelled B-A-T-E-A-U---F-E-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sorte de bateau qui remplit, en pleine mer, une fonction de phare.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. À toute vue apparaît bientôt le bateau-feu Ruytingen, sentinelle immobile.
  2. La nuit tombe, les bateaux-feu s’allument, gros lampions sur la mer, qui s’apaise et fait le gros dos comme un chat bien nourri sous la caresse.

Synonyms

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 "bateau-feu"?
"bateau-feu" is spelled B-A-T-E-A-U---F-E-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ba.to fø\.
What does "bateau-feu" mean?
As a noun, "bateau-feu" means: Sorte de bateau qui remplit, en pleine mer, une fonction de phare.
How do you pronounce "bateau-feu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bateau-feu" is \ba.to fø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bateau-feu" come from?
"bateau-feu" 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