circonlocution
\siʁ.kɔ̃.lɔ.ky.sjɔ̃\
The verdict
“circonlocution” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Circuit de paroles dont on se sert quand on veut évoquer une chose sans l’exprimer directement.
Corpus desk
Index FR-circonlocution · circonlocution · French
circonlocution · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 14 letters
- VOW-6 6 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | circonlocution |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \siʁ.kɔ̃.lɔ.ky.sjɔ̃\ |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Longue queue: rang de « circonlocution » en français
Rare enough to double-check
circonlocution is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \siʁ.kɔ̃.lɔ.ky.sjɔ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Circuit de paroles dont on se sert quand on veut évoquer une chose sans l’exprimer directement.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for circonlocution in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is circonlocution, spelled C-I-R-C-O-N-L-O-C-U-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Circuit de paroles dont on se sert quand on veut évoquer une chose sans l’exprimer directement.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how circonlocution appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Ce mot est expressif, intelligible, et nous en avons besoin. On ne peut y suppléer que par cette circonlocution : j’ai de l’aversion pour la malpropreté. Mais que ce tour est traînant !
Le lendemain, madame Grandet commença par des protestations infinies. Pendant ces circonlocutions bien longues, M. Leuwen restait grave et impassible.
Synonyms
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.