goutte d’eau

\ɡut do\

/\ɡut do\/ noun

The verdict

“goutte d’eau” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Entaille sous un rebord permettant l’écoulement de l’eau de pluie à l’extérieur d’un bâtiment.

Corpus desk

Index FR-goutte-d-eau · goutte d’eau · French

goutte d’eau · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "G" 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 goutte d’eau
PropertyValue
Headwordgoutte d’eau
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɡut do\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « goutte d’eau » en français

goutte d’eausiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

goutte d’eau is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ɡut do\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for goutte d’eau in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is goutte d’eau, spelled G-O-U-T-T-E- -D-’-E-A-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Entaille sous un rebord permettant l’écoulement de l’eau de pluie à l’extérieur d’un bâtiment.
  2. 2
    Forme d’une goutte d’eau juste avant de tomber.
  3. 3
    Quantité infime, voire insuffisante.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how goutte d’eau appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Une goutte d’eau au regard du millier de milliards nécessaires mais un symbole fort.

Synonyms

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 "goutte d’eau"?
"goutte d’eau" is spelled G-O-U-T-T-E- -D-’-E-A-U. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡut do\.
What does "goutte d’eau" mean?
As a noun, "goutte d’eau" means: Entaille sous un rebord permettant l’écoulement de l’eau de pluie à l’extérieur d’un bâtiment.
How do you pronounce "goutte d’eau"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "goutte d’eau" is \ɡut do\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "goutte d’eau" come from?
"goutte d’eau" 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