bécasse des bois

\be.kas dɛ bwa\

/\be.kas dɛ bwa\/ noun

The verdict

“bécasse des bois” 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
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Espèce d’oiseau petit échassier limicole d’Eurasie, gros, dont le plumage décline toutes les nuances de couleur du brun foncé au beige clair, barré au-dessus de la tête, oiseau migrateur discret.

Key facts for bécasse des bois
PropertyValue
Headwordbécasse des bois
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\be.kas dɛ bwa\
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bécasse des bois” sits in French frequency

bécasse des bois 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 bécasse des bois is 16 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \be.kas dɛ bwa\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Espèce d’oiseau petit échassier limicole d’Eurasie, gros, dont le plumage décline toutes les nuances de couleur du brun foncé au beige clair, barré au-dessus de la tête, oiseau migrateur discret.".

Zero misspellings are on record for bécasse des bois in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, 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 bécasse des bois, spelled B-É-C-A-S-S-E- -D-E-S- -B-O-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Espèce d’oiseau petit échassier limicole d’Eurasie, gros, dont le plumage décline toutes les nuances de couleur du brun foncé au beige clair, barré au-dessus de la tête, oiseau migrateur discret.

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 "bécasse des bois"?
"bécasse des bois" is spelled B-É-C-A-S-S-E- -D-E-S- -B-O-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is \be.kas dɛ bwa\.
What does "bécasse des bois" mean?
As a noun, "bécasse des bois" means: Espèce d’oiseau petit échassier limicole d’Eurasie, gros, dont le plumage décline toutes les nuances de couleur du brun foncé au beige clair, barré au-dessus de la tête, oiseau migrateur discret.
How do you pronounce "bécasse des bois"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bécasse des bois" is \be.kas dɛ bwa\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bécasse des bois" come from?
"bécasse des bois" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “bécasse des bois”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-É-C-A-S-S-E- -D-E-S- -B-O-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \be.kas dɛ bwa\ (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