force majeure

\fɔʁs ma.ʒœʁ\

/\fɔʁs ma.ʒœʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“force majeure” 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
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ensemble des circonstances imprévisibles et inéluctables qui libèrent une personne de ses responsabilités ou obligations.

Key facts for force majeure
PropertyValue
Headwordforce majeure
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fɔʁs ma.ʒœʁ\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “force majeure” sits in French frequency

force majeure 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 force majeure is 13 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fɔʁs ma.ʒœʁ\. 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: "Ensemble des circonstances imprévisibles et inéluctables qui libèrent une personne de ses responsabilités ou obligations.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for force majeure, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is force majeure, spelled F-O-R-C-E- -M-A-J-E-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ensemble des circonstances imprévisibles et inéluctables qui libèrent une personne de ses responsabilités ou obligations.

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 "force majeure"?
"force majeure" is spelled F-O-R-C-E- -M-A-J-E-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \fɔʁs ma.ʒœʁ\.
What does "force majeure" mean?
As a noun, "force majeure" means: Ensemble des circonstances imprévisibles et inéluctables qui libèrent une personne de ses responsabilités ou obligations.
How do you pronounce "force majeure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "force majeure" is \fɔʁs ma.ʒœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "force majeure" come from?
"force majeure" 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 “force majeure”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is F-O-R-C-E- -M-A-J-E-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \fɔʁs ma.ʒœʁ\ (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