oiseau de passage

noun

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

The verdict

“oiseau de passage” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
17
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Oiseau qui, en certaines saisons, passe d'un pays dans un autre.

Key facts for oiseau de passage
PropertyValue
Headwordoiseau de passage
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
Letters17
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “oiseau de passage” sits in French frequency

oiseau de passage 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 oiseau de passage is 17 letters long, classified as a noun. 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.

oiseau de passage has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is oiseau de passage, spelled O-I-S-E-A-U- -D-E- -P-A-S-S-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Oiseau qui, en certaines saisons, passe d'un pays dans un autre.
  2. 2
    Personne qui n’est en quelque lieu que pour peu de temps, qui ne fait qu’y passer.

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 "oiseau de passage"?
"oiseau de passage" is spelled O-I-S-E-A-U- -D-E- -P-A-S-S-A-G-E.
What does "oiseau de passage" mean?
As a noun, "oiseau de passage" means: Oiseau qui, en certaines saisons, passe d'un pays dans un autre.
What language does "oiseau de passage" come from?
"oiseau de passage" 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 “oiseau de passage”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is O-I-S-E-A-U- -D-E- -P-A-S-S-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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