homme de paille

\ɔm də paj\

/\ɔm də paj\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“homme de paille” 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 May 6, 2026) - Prête-nom ; contractant ou acheteur supposé ; homme qu’on fait intervenir dans une affaire où il n’a pas d’intérêt personnel et où il agit non pour lui, mais pour le compte d’un autre.

Key facts for homme de paille
PropertyValue
Headwordhomme de paille
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔm də paj\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “homme de paille” sits in French frequency

homme de paille 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.

Rare enough to double-check

homme de paille is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ɔm də paj\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

homme de paille doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is homme de paille, spelled H-O-M-M-E- -D-E- -P-A-I-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prête-nom ; contractant ou acheteur supposé ; homme qu’on fait intervenir dans une affaire où il n’a pas d’intérêt personnel et où il agit non pour lui, mais pour le compte d’un autre.
  2. 2
    Technique consistant à présenter la position de son adversaire de façon volontairement erronée avant de la réfuter.
  3. 3
    Prête-nom.

Synonyms

mandatairecommandité

This word in other languages

straw man(English)testaferro(Español)Strohmann(Deutsch)laranja(Português)

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 "homme de paille"?
"homme de paille" is spelled H-O-M-M-E- -D-E- -P-A-I-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔm də paj\.
What does "homme de paille" mean?
As a noun, "homme de paille" means: Prête-nom ; contractant ou acheteur supposé ; homme qu’on fait intervenir dans une affaire où il n’a pas d’intérêt personnel et où il agit non pour lui, mais pour le compte d’un autre.
How do you pronounce "homme de paille"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "homme de paille" is \ɔm də paj\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "homme de paille" come from?
"homme de paille" 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 “homme de paille”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-O-M-M-E- -D-E- -P-A-I-L-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɔm də paj\ (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