dire adieu

\di.ʁ‿a.djø\

/\di.ʁ‿a.djø\/ verb

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

The verdict

“dire adieu” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Prendre congé de quelqu’un ou quelque chose.

Key facts for dire adieu
PropertyValue
Headworddire adieu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\di.ʁ‿a.djø\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dire adieu” sits in French frequency

dire adieu 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 dire adieu is 10 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \di.ʁ‿a.djø\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for dire adieu, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is dire adieu, spelled D-I-R-E- -A-D-I-E-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prendre congé de quelqu’un ou quelque chose.
  2. 2
    quitter quelqu’un.
  3. 3
    Quitter quelque chose, partir de, renoncer à.
  4. 4
    Partir définitivement.
  5. 5
    Abandonner.

Synonyms

faire ses adieuxprendre congé

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 "dire adieu"?
"dire adieu" is spelled D-I-R-E- -A-D-I-E-U. The IPA pronunciation is \di.ʁ‿a.djø\.
What does "dire adieu" mean?
As a verb, "dire adieu" means: Prendre congé de quelqu’un ou quelque chose.
How do you pronounce "dire adieu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dire adieu" is \di.ʁ‿a.djø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dire adieu" come from?
"dire adieu" 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.

Using “dire adieu”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is D-I-R-E- -A-D-I-E-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \di.ʁ‿a.djø\ (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