bras de fer

\bʁa də fɛʁ\

/\bʁa də fɛʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“bras de fer” 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) - Jeu sportif entre deux personnes qui empoignent chacun le poignet de l’autre et forcent chacun vers la main non utilisée pour lui faire toucher la table.

Key facts for bras de fer
PropertyValue
Headwordbras de fer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bʁa də fɛʁ\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bras de fer” sits in French frequency

bras de fer 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

bras de fer is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \bʁa də fɛʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for bras de fer in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is bras de fer, spelled B-R-A-S- -D-E- -F-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Jeu sportif entre deux personnes qui empoignent chacun le poignet de l’autre et forcent chacun vers la main non utilisée pour lui faire toucher la table.
  2. 2
    Duel.
  3. 3
    Conflit entre deux parties.
  4. 4
    Tactique d’intimidation qui vise à faire céder l’adversaire en lui laissant croire qu’il se heurte à une détermination infaillible.

Synonyms

tir au poignet

This word in other languages

arm wrestling(English)pulseada(Español)braço de ferro(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 "bras de fer"?
"bras de fer" is spelled B-R-A-S- -D-E- -F-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \bʁa də fɛʁ\.
What does "bras de fer" mean?
As a noun, "bras de fer" means: Jeu sportif entre deux personnes qui empoignent chacun le poignet de l’autre et forcent chacun vers la main non utilisée pour lui faire toucher la table.
How do you pronounce "bras de fer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bras de fer" is \bʁa də fɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bras de fer" come from?
"bras de fer" 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 “bras de fer”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-R-A-S- -D-E- -F-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bʁa də fɛʁ\ (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