feu de paille

\fø də paj\

/\fø də paj\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Feu de paille.

Corpus desk

Index FR-feu-de-paille · feu de paille · French

feu de paille · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" 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 feu de paille
PropertyValue
Headwordfeu de paille
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fø də paj\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « feu de paille » en français

feu de paillen'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

feu de paille is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \fø də paj\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

feu de paille has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is feu de paille, spelled F-E-U- -D-E- -P-A-I-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Feu de paille.
  2. 2
    Sentiment vif et passager.
  3. 3
    Ce qui commence de façon vive et qui ne dure pas.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. – La guerre ressemble à ces femmes qui font tourner la tête, dont on craint les maladies, les coups de nerf, les tromperies, qui vous ensorcellent, vous rendent fous, maigres, pourris et cocus, mais pleins à jamais de souvenirs, incendies que les autres prennent toujours pour des feux de paille !
  2. Dans la bourgeoisie, dans le peuple surtout, l’enthousiasme fut grand au lendemain des journées de février ; ces apprentis républicains avaient hâte de dépenser leur fièvre révolutionnaire. Mais pour les rentiers de la ville neuve, ce beau feu eut l’éclat et la durée d’un feu de paille.

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 "feu de paille"?
"feu de paille" is spelled F-E-U- -D-E- -P-A-I-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \fø də paj\.
What does "feu de paille" mean?
As a noun, "feu de paille" means: Feu de paille.
How do you pronounce "feu de paille"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "feu de paille" is \fø də paj\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "feu de paille" come from?
"feu de paille" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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