jeter de la poudre aux yeux

\ʒə.te də la pu.dʁ‿o.z‿jø\

/\ʒə.te də la pu.dʁ‿o.z‿jø\/ verb

The verdict

“jeter de la poudre aux yeux” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
27
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Chercher à éblouir autrui par un éclat souvent illusoire.

Corpus desk

Index FR-jeter-de-la-poudre-aux-y · jeter de la poudre aux yeux · French

jeter de la poudre aux yeux · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 27 letters
  • VOW-12 12 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "J" 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 jeter de la poudre aux yeux
PropertyValue
Headwordjeter de la poudre aux yeux
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ʒə.te də la pu.dʁ‿o.z‿jø\
Letters27
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « jeter de la poudre aux yeux » en français

jeter de la poudre aux yeuxn'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

jeter de la poudre aux yeux is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \ʒə.te də la pu.dʁ‿o.z‿jø\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Chercher à éblouir autrui par un éclat souvent illusoire.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for jeter de la poudre aux yeux, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

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 jeter de la poudre aux yeux, spelled J-E-T-E-R- -D-E- -L-A- -P-O-U-D-R-E- -A-U-X- -Y-E-U-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    Chercher à éblouir autrui par un éclat souvent illusoire.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how jeter de la poudre aux yeux appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Mme Gay n’a pas un sou vaillant […] elle vit en faisant des dettes […] elle jette de la poudre aux yeux des gens de la société, en affichant un luxe insolent.
  2. Le banquier Jeannin était faible, confiant, un peu vaniteux. Il aimait jeter de la poudre aux yeux, et confondait volontiers « être » avec « paraître ».

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 "jeter de la poudre aux yeux"?
"jeter de la poudre aux yeux" is spelled J-E-T-E-R- -D-E- -L-A- -P-O-U-D-R-E- -A-U-X- -Y-E-U-X. The IPA pronunciation is \ʒə.te də la pu.dʁ‿o.z‿jø\.
What does "jeter de la poudre aux yeux" mean?
As a verb, "jeter de la poudre aux yeux" means: Chercher à éblouir autrui par un éclat souvent illusoire.
How do you pronounce "jeter de la poudre aux yeux"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "jeter de la poudre aux yeux" is \ʒə.te də la pu.dʁ‿o.z‿jø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "jeter de la poudre aux yeux" come from?
"jeter de la poudre aux yeux" 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