mardi gras

\maʁ.di ɡʁa\

/\maʁ.di ɡʁa\/ noun

The verdict

“mardi gras” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Dernier jour du carnaval.

Key facts for mardi gras
PropertyValue
Headwordmardi gras
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\maʁ.di ɡʁa\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mardi gras” sits in French frequency

mardi gras 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for mardi gras is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \maʁ.di ɡʁa\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for mardi gras, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is mardi gras, spelled M-A-R-D-I- -G-R-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dernier jour du carnaval.
  2. 2
    Personne qui s’habille d’une façon ridicule évoquant l’idée d’un déguisement.
  3. 3
    Vacances scolaires en février.

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 "mardi gras"?
"mardi gras" is spelled M-A-R-D-I- -G-R-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is \maʁ.di ɡʁa\.
What does "mardi gras" mean?
As a noun, "mardi gras" means: Dernier jour du carnaval.
How do you pronounce "mardi gras"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mardi gras" is \maʁ.di ɡʁa\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mardi gras" come from?
"mardi gras" 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.

Using “mardi gras”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is M-A-R-D-I- -G-R-A-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \maʁ.di ɡʁa\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list