Nouvelle-Orléans

\nu.vɛ.l‿ɔʁ.le.ɑ̃\

/\nu.vɛ.l‿ɔʁ.le.ɑ̃\/ name

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Métropole de l’État de Louisiane.

Corpus desk

Index FR-nouvelle-orleans · Nouvelle-Orléans · French

Nouvelle-Orléans · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 16 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "N" 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 Nouvelle-Orléans
PropertyValue
HeadwordNouvelle-Orléans
LanguageFrench
Part of speechProper noun
IPA\nu.vɛ.l‿ɔʁ.le.ɑ̃\
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « Nouvelle-Orléans » en français

Nouvelle-Orléansreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Nouvelle-Orléans is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed \nu.vɛ.l‿ɔʁ.le.ɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Métropole de l’État de Louisiane.".

Nouvelle-Orléans doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is Nouvelle-Orléans, spelled N-O-U-V-E-L-L-E---O-R-L-É-A-N-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Métropole de l’État de Louisiane.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. La configuration des côtes influe principalement sur leur salubrité : […]; la côte de la Nouvelle-Orléans avec ses atterrissements marécageux, d'où s'échappe le miasme léthal de la fièvre jaune; Dieppe avec ses plages à galets; Boulogne, dont le sable lisse et moelleux invite les pieds du baigneur, sont des localités aussi différentes que plaine et montagne.
  2. Il approuve hautement le comité de vigilance de la Nouvelle-Orléans qui en 1890 pendit, « à la grande satisfaction de tous les honnêtes gens », des maffiosi acquittés par le jury.

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 "Nouvelle-Orléans"?
"Nouvelle-Orléans" is spelled N-O-U-V-E-L-L-E---O-R-L-É-A-N-S. The IPA pronunciation is \nu.vɛ.l‿ɔʁ.le.ɑ̃\.
What does "Nouvelle-Orléans" mean?
As a proper noun, "Nouvelle-Orléans" means: Métropole de l’État de Louisiane.
How do you pronounce "Nouvelle-Orléans"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Nouvelle-Orléans" is \nu.vɛ.l‿ɔʁ.le.ɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Nouvelle-Orléans" come from?
"Nouvelle-Orléans" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list