bien au contraire

\bjɛ̃.n‿o kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ\

/\bjɛ̃.n‿o kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ\/ adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“bien au contraire” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
17
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Au contraire.

Key facts for bien au contraire
PropertyValue
Headwordbien au contraire
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\bjɛ̃.n‿o kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ\
Letters17
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bien au contraire” sits in French frequency

bien au contraire 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 bien au contraire is 17 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \bjɛ̃.n‿o kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ\. 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: "Au contraire.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for bien au contraire in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is bien au contraire, spelled B-I-E-N- -A-U- -C-O-N-T-R-A-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Au contraire.

Synonyms

tout au contraireque du contraire

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 "bien au contraire"?
"bien au contraire" is spelled B-I-E-N- -A-U- -C-O-N-T-R-A-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \bjɛ̃.n‿o kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ\.
What does "bien au contraire" mean?
As an adverb, "bien au contraire" means: Au contraire.
How do you pronounce "bien au contraire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bien au contraire" is \bjɛ̃.n‿o kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bien au contraire" come from?
"bien au contraire" 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.

Using “bien au contraire”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-I-E-N- -A-U- -C-O-N-T-R-A-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bjɛ̃.n‿o kɔ̃.tʁɛʁ\ (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