clair de lune
\klɛʁ də lyn\
The verdict
“clair de lune” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Clarté de la lune.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | clair de lune |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \klɛʁ də lyn\ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “clair de lune” sits in French frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The French entry for clair de lune is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \klɛʁ də lyn\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
clair de lune has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is clair de lune, spelled C-L-A-I-R- -D-E- -L-U-N-E.
Definition
- 1Clarté de la lune.
- 2Tableau qui représente une vue prise au clair de la lune.
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
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Using “clair de lune”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is C-L-A-I-R- -D-E- -L-U-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \klɛʁ də lyn\ (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.