de force

\də fɔʁs\

/\də fɔʁs\/ adv

The verdict

“de force” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - En utilisant la force, en tant qu’effort.

Corpus desk

Index FR-de-force · de force · French

de force · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" 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 de force
PropertyValue
Headwordde force
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\də fɔʁs\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « de force » en français

de forcesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

de force is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \də fɔʁs\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for de force in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is de force, spelled D-E- -F-O-R-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    En utilisant la force, en tant qu’effort.
  2. 2
    En utilisant la force, en tant que violence.
  3. 3
    En utilisant la contrainte.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Faire entrer de force une chose dans une autre.
  2. Il avait enfin trouvé un semblant de sommeil lorsqu'il fut réveillé et embarqué de force par un groupe d'hommes qui le cagoulèrent et lui lièrent les mains. Lorsqu'il lui retirèrent sa cagoule, après un voyage dans un véhicule, il reconnut le conseiller, […].

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "de force"?
"de force" is spelled D-E- -F-O-R-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \də fɔʁs\.
What does "de force" mean?
As an adverb, "de force" means: En utilisant la force, en tant qu’effort.
How do you pronounce "de force"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "de force" is \də fɔʁs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "de force" come from?
"de force" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list