feux de détresse

\fø də de.tʁɛs\

/\fø də de.tʁɛs\/ noun

The verdict

“feux de détresse” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Feux indicateurs de direction clignotant de façon simultanée pour indiquer une situation de danger, tels l’arrêt forcé d’un véhicule ou la réduction soudaine de sa vitesse.

Key facts for feux de détresse
PropertyValue
Headwordfeux de détresse
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fø də de.tʁɛs\
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “feux de détresse” sits in French frequency

feux de détresse 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 feux de détresse is 16 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fø də de.tʁɛs\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Feux indicateurs de direction clignotant de façon simultanée pour indiquer une situation de danger, tels l’arrêt forcé d’un véhicule ou la réduction soudaine de sa vitesse.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for feux de détresse, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is feux de détresse, spelled F-E-U-X- -D-E- -D-É-T-R-E-S-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Feux indicateurs de direction clignotant de façon simultanée pour indiquer une situation de danger, tels l’arrêt forcé d’un véhicule ou la réduction soudaine de sa vitesse.

Synonyms

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 "feux de détresse"?
"feux de détresse" is spelled F-E-U-X- -D-E- -D-É-T-R-E-S-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \fø də de.tʁɛs\.
What does "feux de détresse" mean?
As a noun, "feux de détresse" means: Feux indicateurs de direction clignotant de façon simultanée pour indiquer une situation de danger, tels l’arrêt forcé d’un véhicule ou la réduction soudaine de sa vitesse.
How do you pronounce "feux de détresse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "feux de détresse" is \fø də de.tʁɛs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "feux de détresse" come from?
"feux de détresse" 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 “feux de détresse”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is F-E-U-X- -D-E- -D-É-T-R-E-S-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \fø də de.tʁɛs\ (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