gueule de bois
\ɡœl də bwa\
The verdict
“gueule de bois” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Malaises matinaux (mal de tête, vertiges, etc.) dus à un abus d’alcool.
Corpus desk
Index FR-gueule-de-bois · gueule de bois · French
gueule de bois · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 14 letters
- VOW-7 7 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gueule de bois |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \ɡœl də bwa\ |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Longue queue: rang de « gueule de bois » en français
Rare enough to double-check
gueule de bois is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ɡœl də bwa\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
gueule de bois has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. 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.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is gueule de bois, spelled G-U-E-U-L-E- -D-E- -B-O-I-S.
Definition
- 1Malaises matinaux (mal de tête, vertiges, etc.) dus à un abus d’alcool.
- 2Désenchantement douloureux après une période d'excès.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how gueule de bois appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Vu tout ce qu'il a bu hier soir, il a dû avoir une sacrée gueule de bois ce matin.
— Ah ! vous avez envie d’un John Collins ! Excellente idée ! Prenons un John Collins Tout à fait fameux pour le… wooden mouth ! Comment dites-vous en français ? — Ça dépend ! Le docteur Héricourt dit xylostome, les voyous prononcent gueule de bois.
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.