opus magnum

\ɔ.pys maɡ.nɔm\

/\ɔ.pys maɡ.nɔm\/ noun

The verdict

“opus magnum” 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
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Grand œuvre, chef-d’œuvre représentant l’accomplissement de la vie d’un artiste.

Key facts for opus magnum
PropertyValue
Headwordopus magnum
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔ.pys maɡ.nɔm\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “opus magnum” sits in French frequency

opus magnum 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 opus magnum is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɔ.pys maɡ.nɔm\. 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.

opus magnum doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is opus magnum, spelled O-P-U-S- -M-A-G-N-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Grand œuvre, chef-d’œuvre représentant l’accomplissement de la vie d’un artiste.
  2. 2
    Œuvre la plus importante d'un auteur.

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 "opus magnum"?
"opus magnum" is spelled O-P-U-S- -M-A-G-N-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔ.pys maɡ.nɔm\.
What does "opus magnum" mean?
As a noun, "opus magnum" means: Grand œuvre, chef-d’œuvre représentant l’accomplissement de la vie d’un artiste.
How do you pronounce "opus magnum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "opus magnum" is \ɔ.pys maɡ.nɔm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "opus magnum" come from?
"opus magnum" 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 “opus magnum”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is O-P-U-S- -M-A-G-N-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɔ.pys maɡ.nɔm\ (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