mauvais temps

\mɔ.vɛ tɑ̃\

/\mɔ.vɛ tɑ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“mauvais temps” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Climat, temps pluvieux et froid.

Corpus desk

Index FR-mauvais-temps · mauvais temps · French

mauvais temps · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 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 mauvais temps
PropertyValue
Headwordmauvais temps
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mɔ.vɛ tɑ̃\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mauvais temps” sits in French frequency

mauvais temps 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

mauvais temps is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \mɔ.vɛ tɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for mauvais temps in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is mauvais temps, spelled M-A-U-V-A-I-S- -T-E-M-P-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Climat, temps pluvieux et froid.
  2. 2
    Période calamiteuse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ayant visité le Cap Stewart, puis le Cap Hope, Mikkelsen, prévoyant le mauvais temps, était parti dans le you-you pour nous rejoindre.
  2. De nombreux arcs-en-ciel apparaissent, mais le ciel entre les nuages est d’un bleu trop pâle et je sais que ce n’est pas encore la fin du mauvais temps.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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 September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mauvais temps"?
"mauvais temps" is spelled M-A-U-V-A-I-S- -T-E-M-P-S. The IPA pronunciation is \mɔ.vɛ tɑ̃\.
What does "mauvais temps" mean?
As a noun, "mauvais temps" means: Climat, temps pluvieux et froid.
How do you pronounce "mauvais temps"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mauvais temps" is \mɔ.vɛ tɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mauvais temps" come from?
"mauvais temps" 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?
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What to do next

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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