de-ci de-là

\də.si də.la\

/\də.si də.la\/ adv

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

The verdict

“de-ci de-là” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. 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) - Par endroits ; aléatoirement.

Key facts for de-ci de-là
PropertyValue
Headwordde-ci de-là
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\də.si də.la\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “de-ci de-là” sits in French frequency

de-ci de-là 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

de-ci de-là is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \də.si də.la\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Par endroits ; aléatoirement.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for de-ci de-là in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is de-ci de-là, spelled D-E---C-I- -D-E---L-À.

Definition

  1. 1
    Par endroits ; aléatoirement.

Synonyms

de ci et de làpar-ci, par-làde place en place

This word in other languages

mancherorts(Deutsch)

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 "de-ci de-là"?
"de-ci de-là" is spelled D-E---C-I- -D-E---L-À. The IPA pronunciation is \də.si də.la\.
What does "de-ci de-là" mean?
As an adverb, "de-ci de-là" means: Par endroits ; aléatoirement.
How do you pronounce "de-ci de-là"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "de-ci de-là" is \də.si də.la\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "de-ci de-là" come from?
"de-ci de-là" 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 “de-ci de-là”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-E---C-I- -D-E---L-À - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \də.si də.la\ (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