bois-de-mai

\bwa də mɛ\

/\bwa də mɛ\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

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

Key facts for bois-de-mai
PropertyValue
Headwordbois-de-mai
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bwa də mɛ\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bois-de-mai” sits in French frequency

bois-de-mai 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

bois-de-mai is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \bwa də mɛ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Aubépine.".

bois-de-mai has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is bois-de-mai, spelled B-O-I-S---D-E---M-A-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Aubépine.

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 "bois-de-mai"?
"bois-de-mai" is spelled B-O-I-S---D-E---M-A-I. The IPA pronunciation is \bwa də mɛ\.
What does "bois-de-mai" mean?
As a noun, "bois-de-mai" means: Aubépine.
How do you pronounce "bois-de-mai"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bois-de-mai" is \bwa də mɛ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bois-de-mai" come from?
"bois-de-mai" 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 “bois-de-mai”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-O-I-S---D-E---M-A-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bwa də mɛ\ (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