hors du commun

^((h muet))\ɔʁ dy kɔ.mɛ̃\

/^((h muet))\ɔʁ dy kɔ.mɛ̃\/ adj

The verdict

“hors du commun” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. 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) - Que l’on ne rencontre pas ordinairement.

Corpus desk

Index FR-hors-du-commun · hors du commun · French

hors du commun · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 hors du commun
PropertyValue
Headwordhors du commun
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA^((h muet))\ɔʁ dy kɔ.mɛ̃\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « hors du commun » en français

hors du communsiège 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

hors du commun is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed ^((h muet))\ɔʁ dy kɔ.mɛ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Que l’on ne rencontre pas ordinairement.".

No misspelling variants are generated for hors du commun in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is hors du commun, spelled H-O-R-S- -D-U- -C-O-M-M-U-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Que l’on ne rencontre pas ordinairement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hors du commun appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Dans plusieurs épisodes, alors que ses compagnons restent pantois, Panurge montre des talents de déchiffrement hors du commun.
  2. Naît alors, nourri d’un voyage en Italie de 8 ans (1770-1778), une œuvre singulière : peintures mythologiques, sujets shakespeariens, représentations de songes, avec une esthétique nouvelle, qui tend vers le fantastique, des anatomies michelangelesques, une énergie, un mouvement et un souffle hors du commun.

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 "hors du commun"?
"hors du commun" is spelled H-O-R-S- -D-U- -C-O-M-M-U-N. The IPA pronunciation is ^((h muet))\ɔʁ dy kɔ.mɛ̃\.
What does "hors du commun" mean?
As an adjective, "hors du commun" means: Que l’on ne rencontre pas ordinairement.
How do you pronounce "hors du commun"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hors du commun" is ^((h muet))\ɔʁ dy kɔ.mɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hors du commun" come from?
"hors du commun" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list