close to

\ˈkloʊs tu\

/\ˈkloʊs tu\/ prep

The verdict

“close to” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a preposition - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Près de.

Key facts for close to
PropertyValue
Headwordclose to
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPreposition
IPA\ˈkloʊs tu\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “close to” sits in French frequency

close to 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for close to is 8 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ˈkloʊs tu\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Près de.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for close to, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is close to, spelled C-L-O-S-E- -T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Près de.

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 "close to"?
"close to" is spelled C-L-O-S-E- -T-O. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈkloʊs tu\.
What does "close to" mean?
As a preposition, "close to" means: Près de.
How do you pronounce "close to"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "close to" is \ˈkloʊs tu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "close to" come from?
"close to" 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 “close to”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-L-O-S-E- -T-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈkloʊs tu\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list