bien que

\bjɛ̃ kə\

/\bjɛ̃ kə\/ conj

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

The verdict

“bien que” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a conjunction. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Conjonction de subordination introduisant une concession.

Key facts for bien que
PropertyValue
Headwordbien que
LanguageFrench
Part of speechConjunction
IPA\bjɛ̃ kə\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bien que” sits in French frequency

bien que 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.

Rare enough to double-check

bien que is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aconjunction, transcribed \bjɛ̃ kə\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Conjonction de subordination introduisant une concession.".

No misspelling variants are generated for bien que in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is bien que, spelled B-I-E-N- -Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Conjonction de subordination introduisant une concession.

Synonyms

combien queencore queencore qu’jaçoit quejasoit quejà soit quemalgré qu’malgré quenonobstant quequoiquequoiqu’

This word in other languages

although(English)a pesar de(Español)obwohl(Deutsch)embora(Português)

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 que"?
"bien que" is spelled B-I-E-N- -Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is \bjɛ̃ kə\.
What does "bien que" mean?
As a conjunction, "bien que" means: Conjonction de subordination introduisant une concession.
How do you pronounce "bien que"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bien que" is \bjɛ̃ kə\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bien que" come from?
"bien que" 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 “bien que”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-I-E-N- -Q-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bjɛ̃ kə\ (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