maigre comme un cent de clous

\mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɑ̃ də klu\

/\mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɑ̃ də klu\/ adj

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

The verdict

“maigre comme un cent de clous” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
29
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Cachectique ; excessivement maigre.

Corpus desk

Index FR-maigre-comme-un-cent-de- · maigre comme un cent de clous · French

maigre comme un cent de clous · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 29 letters
  • VOW-10 10 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 maigre comme un cent de clous
PropertyValue
Headwordmaigre comme un cent de clous
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɑ̃ də klu\
Letters29
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “maigre comme un cent de clous” sits in French frequency

maigre comme un cent de clous 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

maigre comme un cent de clous is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɑ̃ də klu\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Cachectique ; excessivement maigre.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for maigre comme un cent de clous in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is maigre comme un cent de clous, spelled M-A-I-G-R-E- -C-O-M-M-E- -U-N- -C-E-N-T- -D-E- -C-L-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Cachectique ; excessivement maigre.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how maigre comme un cent de clous appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ils étaient devant le local où l'on avait conduit les deux esquintés, un agriculteur d'une quarantaine d'années maigre comme un cent de clous et un jeune ouvrier agricole dont le menton tremblai encore d'émotion.

Synonyms

gras comme un cent de cloussec comme un cent de clous

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "maigre comme un cent de clous"?
"maigre comme un cent de clous" is spelled M-A-I-G-R-E- -C-O-M-M-E- -U-N- -C-E-N-T- -D-E- -C-L-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is \mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɑ̃ də klu\.
What does "maigre comme un cent de clous" mean?
As an adjective, "maigre comme un cent de clous" means: Cachectique ; excessivement maigre.
How do you pronounce "maigre comme un cent de clous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maigre comme un cent de clous" is \mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ sɑ̃ də klu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "maigre comme un cent de clous" come from?
"maigre comme un cent de clous" 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.
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