bon vieux temps

\bɔ̃ vjø tɑ̃\

/\bɔ̃ vjø tɑ̃\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Temps passé dont on conserve une agréable nostalgie.

Corpus desk

Index FR-bon-vieux-temps · bon vieux temps · French

bon vieux temps · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-5 5 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 bon vieux temps
PropertyValue
Headwordbon vieux temps
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bɔ̃ vjø tɑ̃\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « bon vieux temps » en français

bon vieux tempssiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

bon vieux temps is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \bɔ̃ vjø tɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Temps passé dont on conserve une agréable nostalgie.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for bon vieux temps in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is bon vieux temps, spelled B-O-N- -V-I-E-U-X- -T-E-M-P-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Temps passé dont on conserve une agréable nostalgie.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how bon vieux temps appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Le vieux temps ! le vieux temps ! le gai ! le bon vieux Temps ! Alors que j’étais jeune et libre, Quand de Pasque entendais les carillons charmants, Qui de mon cœur ému venaient toucher la fibre.
  2. C’est avec lui surtout qu’il aimait à causer ; mais quand ils en arrivaient à ce sujet du bon vieux temps, cela finissait presque toujours par de vives discussions ; aucun d’eux ne cédait ; […] .

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 "bon vieux temps"?
"bon vieux temps" is spelled B-O-N- -V-I-E-U-X- -T-E-M-P-S. The IPA pronunciation is \bɔ̃ vjø tɑ̃\.
What does "bon vieux temps" mean?
As a noun, "bon vieux temps" means: Temps passé dont on conserve une agréable nostalgie.
How do you pronounce "bon vieux temps"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bon vieux temps" is \bɔ̃ vjø tɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bon vieux temps" come from?
"bon vieux temps" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list