des clous

\dɛ klu\

/\dɛ klu\/ intj

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Non ; exprime un refus net.

Corpus desk

Index FR-des-clous · des clous · French

des clous · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 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 des clous
PropertyValue
Headworddes clous
LanguageFrench
Part of speechInterjection
IPA\dɛ klu\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « des clous » en français

des cloussiège 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

des clous is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aninterjection, transcribed \dɛ klu\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Non ; exprime un refus net.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for des clous, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is des clous, spelled D-E-S- -C-L-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Non ; exprime un refus net.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. D’accord, Chalume ? T’y viens aussi ? — Des clous !
  2. – Dix mille balles ! s'écria le plus grand des deux. Ce n'est pas rien : pour ce prix vous aurez un cheval neuf, avec les pédales, la tête et tout ! – Des clous ! riposta Gaby d'une voix mauvaise.

Synonyms

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 "des clous"?
"des clous" is spelled D-E-S- -C-L-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is \dɛ klu\.
What does "des clous" mean?
As an interjection, "des clous" means: Non ; exprime un refus net.
How do you pronounce "des clous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "des clous" is \dɛ klu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "des clous" come from?
"des clous" 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