en train de

\ɑ̃ tʁɛ̃ də\

/\ɑ̃ tʁɛ̃ də\/ prep

The verdict

“en train de” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a preposition. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - En cours de réalisation de.

Corpus desk

Index FR-en-train-de · en train de · French

en train de · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" 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 en train de
PropertyValue
Headworden train de
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPreposition
IPA\ɑ̃ tʁɛ̃ də\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « en train de » en français

en train den'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

en train de is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as apreposition, transcribed \ɑ̃ tʁɛ̃ də\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "En cours de réalisation de.".

Zero misspellings are on record for en train de in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is en train de, spelled E-N- -T-R-A-I-N- -D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    En cours de réalisation de.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Les Vallin étaient à table, en train de manger avec lenteur des tranches de pain qu’ils frottaient parcimonieusement avec un peu de beurre piqué au couteau, dans une assiette entre eux deux.
  2. Quand nous arrivons au bout de l’étape, nous y trouvons déjà la grande koubba impériale en train de se monter […].

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 "en train de"?
"en train de" is spelled E-N- -T-R-A-I-N- -D-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɑ̃ tʁɛ̃ də\.
What does "en train de" mean?
As a preposition, "en train de" means: En cours de réalisation de.
How do you pronounce "en train de"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "en train de" is \ɑ̃ tʁɛ̃ də\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "en train de" come from?
"en train de" 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