mauvaise haleine

\mɔ.vɛ.z‿a.lɛn\

/\mɔ.vɛ.z‿a.lɛn\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fait d’avoir une haleine dont l’odeur est incommodante.

Key facts for mauvaise haleine
PropertyValue
Headwordmauvaise haleine
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mɔ.vɛ.z‿a.lɛn\
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mauvaise haleine” sits in French frequency

mauvaise haleine 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

mauvaise haleine is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \mɔ.vɛ.z‿a.lɛn\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Fait d’avoir une haleine dont l’odeur est incommodante.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for mauvaise haleine in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is mauvaise haleine, spelled M-A-U-V-A-I-S-E- -H-A-L-E-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fait d’avoir une haleine dont l’odeur est incommodante.

Synonyms

halitose

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 "mauvaise haleine"?
"mauvaise haleine" is spelled M-A-U-V-A-I-S-E- -H-A-L-E-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \mɔ.vɛ.z‿a.lɛn\.
What does "mauvaise haleine" mean?
As a noun, "mauvaise haleine" means: Fait d’avoir une haleine dont l’odeur est incommodante.
How do you pronounce "mauvaise haleine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mauvaise haleine" is \mɔ.vɛ.z‿a.lɛn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mauvaise haleine" come from?
"mauvaise haleine" 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.

Using “mauvaise haleine”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-A-U-V-A-I-S-E- -H-A-L-E-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \mɔ.vɛ.z‿a.lɛn\ (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