maigre comme un clou

\mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ klu\

/\mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ klu\/ adj

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
20
letters

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

Corpus desk

Index FR-maigre-comme-un-clou · maigre comme un clou · French

maigre comme un clou · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 20 letters
  • VOW-8 8 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 clou
PropertyValue
Headwordmaigre comme un clou
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ klu\
Letters20
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “maigre comme un clou” sits in French frequency

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

maigre comme un clou has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is maigre comme un clou, spelled M-A-I-G-R-E- -C-O-M-M-E- -U-N- -C-L-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Cachectique ; excessivement maigre.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Quant aux professeurs, au contraire, ils étaient eux maigres comme des clous de cercueil, politiquement tous situés à la gauche du Congrès, un peu maoïstes sur les bords...
  2. Lizzie était maigre comme un clou. Cinquante kilos toute mouillée, des cheveux poil de carotte, des dents de lapin et de grosses lunettes. Un véritable épouvantail à moineaux !

Synonyms

gras comme un cloumaigre comme une étellemaigre comme une ficellemaigre comme un coucoumaigre comme un cent de clous

This word in other languages

spindeldürr(Deutsch)

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 clou"?
"maigre comme un clou" is spelled M-A-I-G-R-E- -C-O-M-M-E- -U-N- -C-L-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is \mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ klu\.
What does "maigre comme un clou" mean?
As an adjective, "maigre comme un clou" means: Cachectique ; excessivement maigre.
How do you pronounce "maigre comme un clou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maigre comme un clou" is \mɛɡʁ kɔ.m‿œ̃ 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 clou" come from?
"maigre comme un clou" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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