clé en main

\kle ɑ̃ mɛ̃\

/\kle ɑ̃ mɛ̃\/ adj

The verdict

“clé en main” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tout prêt, utilisable directement.

Corpus desk

Index FR-cle-en-main · clé en main · French

clé en main · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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.

Key facts for clé en main
PropertyValue
Headwordclé en main
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\kle ɑ̃ mɛ̃\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « clé en main » en français

clé en mainn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

clé en main is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \kle ɑ̃ mɛ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Tout prêt, utilisable directement.".

No misspelling variants are generated for clé en main in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is clé en main, spelled C-L-É- -E-N- -M-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tout prêt, utilisable directement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how clé en main appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. … de nombreux missionnaires — souvent asiatiques — pleins de zèle évangélique qui veulent apporter une Église « clé en main, parfois dans une ignorance crasse de la langue et des traditions khmères ».
  2. La faillite retentissante de Thomas Cook, un géant créé en 1841 et comptant 22 000 collaborateurs, a confirmé la fragilité des voyagistes proposant des formules clés en main (avion et hôtel).

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 "clé en main"?
"clé en main" is spelled C-L-É- -E-N- -M-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is \kle ɑ̃ mɛ̃\.
What does "clé en main" mean?
As an adjective, "clé en main" means: Tout prêt, utilisable directement.
How do you pronounce "clé en main"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "clé en main" is \kle ɑ̃ mɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "clé en main" come from?
"clé en main" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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