moins-que-rien

\mwɛ̃.kə.ʁjɛ̃\

/\mwɛ̃.kə.ʁjɛ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Personne de peu d’importance.

Corpus desk

Index FR-moins-que-rien · moins-que-rien · French

moins-que-rien · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-6 6 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 moins-que-rien
PropertyValue
Headwordmoins-que-rien
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mwɛ̃.kə.ʁjɛ̃\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “moins-que-rien” sits in French frequency

moins-que-rien 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

moins-que-rien is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \mwɛ̃.kə.ʁjɛ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Personne de peu d’importance.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for moins-que-rien, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is moins-que-rien, spelled M-O-I-N-S---Q-U-E---R-I-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Personne de peu d’importance.

Synonyms

sous-merdevaurien

This word in other languages

nobody(English)Niemand(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 "moins-que-rien"?
"moins-que-rien" is spelled M-O-I-N-S---Q-U-E---R-I-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \mwɛ̃.kə.ʁjɛ̃\.
What does "moins-que-rien" mean?
As a noun, "moins-que-rien" means: Personne de peu d’importance.
How do you pronounce "moins-que-rien"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moins-que-rien" is \mwɛ̃.kə.ʁjɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "moins-que-rien" come from?
"moins-que-rien" 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