n’importe quoi

\n‿ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tə kwa\

/\n‿ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tə kwa\/ pron

The verdict

“n’importe quoi” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a pronoun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Un objet ou une idée dont la précision importe peu et que l’on peut choisir librement.

Key facts for n’importe quoi
PropertyValue
Headwordn’importe quoi
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPronoun
IPA\n‿ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tə kwa\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “n’importe quoi” sits in French frequency

n’importe quoi 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 n’importe quoi is 14 letters long, classified as a pronoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \n‿ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tə kwa\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

n’importe quoi has no tracked misspelling variants, 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 best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is n’importe quoi, spelled N-’-I-M-P-O-R-T-E- -Q-U-O-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Un objet ou une idée dont la précision importe peu et que l’on peut choisir librement.
  2. 2
    Ce qui n’a pas beaucoup de sens, qui est absurde, futile ou incongru.

Synonyms

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 "n’importe quoi"?
"n’importe quoi" is spelled N-’-I-M-P-O-R-T-E- -Q-U-O-I. The IPA pronunciation is \n‿ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tə kwa\.
What does "n’importe quoi" mean?
As a pronoun, "n’importe quoi" means: Un objet ou une idée dont la précision importe peu et que l’on peut choisir librement.
How do you pronounce "n’importe quoi"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "n’importe quoi" is \n‿ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tə kwa\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "n’importe quoi" come from?
"n’importe quoi" 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 “n’importe quoi”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is N-’-I-M-P-O-R-T-E- -Q-U-O-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \n‿ɛ̃.pɔʁ.tə kwa\ (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