état des lieux

\e.ta dɛ ljø\

/\e.ta dɛ ljø\/ noun

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

The verdict

“état des lieux” 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) - Inventaire des meubles et immeubles d’un lieu.

Key facts for état des lieux
PropertyValue
Headwordétat des lieux
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\e.ta dɛ ljø\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “état des lieux” sits in French frequency

état des lieux 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 des lieux is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \e.ta dɛ ljø\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for état des lieux, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is état des lieux, spelled É-T-A-T- -D-E-S- -L-I-E-U-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    Inventaire des meubles et immeubles d’un lieu.
  2. 2
    Relevé contradictoire, entre locataire et propriétaire, de l’état d'un immeuble loué.
  3. 3
    Inventaire, relevé.
  4. 4
    Description d’une situation donnant lieu éventuellement à une comparaison avec un cahier des charges.
  5. 5
    Constatation d’une situation à un moment donné.

This word in other languages

reality check(English)

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 des lieux"?
"état des lieux" is spelled É-T-A-T- -D-E-S- -L-I-E-U-X. The IPA pronunciation is \e.ta dɛ ljø\.
What does "état des lieux" mean?
As a noun, "état des lieux" means: Inventaire des meubles et immeubles d’un lieu.
How do you pronounce "état des lieux"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "état des lieux" is \e.ta dɛ ljø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "état des lieux" come from?
"état des lieux" 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 “état des lieux”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is É-T-A-T- -D-E-S- -L-I-E-U-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \e.ta dɛ ljø\ (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