haut la main

^((h aspiré))\o la mɛ̃\

/^((h aspiré))\o la mɛ̃\/ adv

The verdict

“haut la main” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. 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) - En tenant la main des rênes haute, pour soutenir le cheval, pour l’empêcher de buter, de tomber, ou pour lui donner la facilité de lever le devant, de faire des courbettes.

Corpus desk

Index FR-haut-la-main · haut la main · French

haut la main · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" 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 haut la main
PropertyValue
Headwordhaut la main
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA^((h aspiré))\o la mɛ̃\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « haut la main » en français

haut la mainn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

haut la main is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed ^((h aspiré))\o la mɛ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for haut la main, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is haut la main, spelled H-A-U-T- -L-A- -M-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    En tenant la main des rênes haute, pour soutenir le cheval, pour l’empêcher de buter, de tomber, ou pour lui donner la facilité de lever le devant, de faire des courbettes.
  2. 2
    Avec autorité.
  3. 3
    En surmontant tous les obstacles, avec facilité, avec promptitude.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how haut la main appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Mener un cheval haut la main.
  2. Vous les féliciterez de ma part. Bravo à Frey et à ce marchand de pastis de Marseille, Pasqua je crois. Nous allons gagner les élections, et haut la main, je vous en fiche mon billet.

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 "haut la main"?
"haut la main" is spelled H-A-U-T- -L-A- -M-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is ^((h aspiré))\o la mɛ̃\.
What does "haut la main" mean?
As an adverb, "haut la main" means: En tenant la main des rênes haute, pour soutenir le cheval, pour l’empêcher de buter, de tomber, ou pour lui donner la facilité de lever le devant, de faire des courbettes.
How do you pronounce "haut la main"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "haut la main" is ^((h aspiré))\o la mɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "haut la main" come from?
"haut la main" 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