machin-chouette

\ma.ʃɛ̃.ʃwɛt\

/\ma.ʃɛ̃.ʃwɛt\/ noun

The verdict

“machin-chouette” 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 September 3, 2026) - Variante orthographique de machinchouette.

Corpus desk

Index FR-machin-chouette · machin-chouette · French

machin-chouette · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" 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 machin-chouette
PropertyValue
Headwordmachin-chouette
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ma.ʃɛ̃.ʃwɛt\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « machin-chouette » en français

machin-chouettereste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

machin-chouette is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ma.ʃɛ̃.ʃwɛt\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Variante orthographique de machinchouette.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for machin-chouette, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is machin-chouette, spelled M-A-C-H-I-N---C-H-O-U-E-T-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Variante orthographique de machinchouette.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how machin-chouette appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Un merveilleux machin-chouette, apparemment tombé du ciel, se matérialise devant tes yeux. Aussitôt, tu as le nez collé sur la vitre et des picotements sur tout le corps… Et tu te dis que ta vie serait bien meilleure si seulement tu pouvais posséder cet objet… ,
  2. Près de l’entrée, Paulin, le commandant du Dépôt, les dirigeait sur les cuisines: - Vous, les machins-chouettes , leur disait-il, allez bouffer ! ,

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 "machin-chouette"?
"machin-chouette" is spelled M-A-C-H-I-N---C-H-O-U-E-T-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ma.ʃɛ̃.ʃwɛt\.
What does "machin-chouette" mean?
As a noun, "machin-chouette" means: Variante orthographique de machinchouette.
How do you pronounce "machin-chouette"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "machin-chouette" is \ma.ʃɛ̃.ʃwɛt\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "machin-chouette" come from?
"machin-chouette" 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