figure de proue
\fi.ɡyʁ də pʁu\
The verdict
“figure de proue” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 15
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sculpture de forme humaine, animale ou fantastique qui ornait la proue d’un navire.
Corpus desk
Index FR-figure-de-proue · figure de proue · French
figure de proue · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 15 letters
- VOW-7 7 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | figure de proue |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \fi.ɡyʁ də pʁu\ |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Longue queue: rang de « figure de proue » en français
Rare enough to double-check
figure de proue is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \fi.ɡyʁ də pʁu\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for figure de proue, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is figure de proue, spelled F-I-G-U-R-E- -D-E- -P-R-O-U-E.
Definition
- 1Sculpture de forme humaine, animale ou fantastique qui ornait la proue d’un navire.
- 2Membre emblématique d’un groupe, celui qui est le plus en vue, chef de file d’un mouvement, d’un courant de pensée.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how figure de proue appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Victor, qui lisait beaucoup de bandes dessinées, se dit qu’elle était comme la figure de proue d’un drakkar. Il se mit à rêver.
Barques funèbres, avec en figures de proue des taureaux à têtes d’or et d’argent, elles avaient conduit les rois, les reines au Pays des ombres.
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.