état de choses

\e.ta də ʃoz\

/\e.ta də ʃoz\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Situation spécifique. Ensemble de circonstances.

Key facts for état de choses
PropertyValue
Headwordétat de choses
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.ta də ʃoz\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “état de choses” sits in French frequency

état de choses 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

état de choses is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \e.ta də ʃoz\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for état de choses, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is état de choses, spelled É-T-A-T- -D-E- -C-H-O-S-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Situation spécifique. Ensemble de circonstances.
  2. 2
    Sens d’une proposition sans temps. Par exemple, dans la phrase j’ai rencontré un ami, l’état de choses est « moi rencontrer un ami ». Le temps grammatical est le placement d’un état de choses sur le temps au point de vue du locuteur. Quand on trouve quelqu’un après l’avoir cherché, on peut dire Ah, vous étiez là ! même s’il est maintenant là, parce que l’on place cet état de choses dans le passé où on le cherchait.

This word in other languages

state of affairs(English)Sachverhalt(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 "état de choses"?
"état de choses" is spelled É-T-A-T- -D-E- -C-H-O-S-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is \e.ta də ʃoz\.
What does "état de choses" mean?
As a noun, "état de choses" means: Situation spécifique. Ensemble de circonstances.
How do you pronounce "état de choses"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "état de choses" is \e.ta də ʃoz\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "état de choses" come from?
"état de choses" 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 “état de choses”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is É-T-A-T- -D-E- -C-H-O-S-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \e.ta də ʃoz\ (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