boule de feu

\bul də fø\

/\bul də fø\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Foudre en boule.

Corpus desk

Index FR-boule-de-feu · boule de feu · French

boule de feu · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 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 boule de feu
PropertyValue
Headwordboule de feu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bul də fø\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « boule de feu » en français

boule de feusiège 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

boule de feu is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \bul də fø\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Foudre en boule.".

Zero misspellings are on record for boule de feu in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is boule de feu, spelled B-O-U-L-E- -D-E- -F-E-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Foudre en boule.

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 "boule de feu"?
"boule de feu" is spelled B-O-U-L-E- -D-E- -F-E-U. The IPA pronunciation is \bul də fø\.
What does "boule de feu" mean?
As a noun, "boule de feu" means: Foudre en boule.
How do you pronounce "boule de feu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "boule de feu" is \bul də fø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "boule de feu" come from?
"boule de feu" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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