ouvrir le chemin

\u.vʁiʁ lə ʃə.mɛ̃\

/\u.vʁiʁ lə ʃə.mɛ̃\/ verb

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

The verdict

“ouvrir le chemin” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
16
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Être le premier, créer un précédent.

Key facts for ouvrir le chemin
PropertyValue
Headwordouvrir le chemin
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\u.vʁiʁ lə ʃə.mɛ̃\
Letters16
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ouvrir le chemin” sits in French frequency

ouvrir le chemin 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 ouvrir le chemin is 16 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \u.vʁiʁ lə ʃə.mɛ̃\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Être le premier, créer un précédent.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ouvrir le chemin, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is ouvrir le chemin, spelled O-U-V-R-I-R- -L-E- -C-H-E-M-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Être le premier, créer un précédent.

Synonyms

ouvrir la voie

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 "ouvrir le chemin"?
"ouvrir le chemin" is spelled O-U-V-R-I-R- -L-E- -C-H-E-M-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is \u.vʁiʁ lə ʃə.mɛ̃\.
What does "ouvrir le chemin" mean?
As a verb, "ouvrir le chemin" means: Être le premier, créer un précédent.
How do you pronounce "ouvrir le chemin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ouvrir le chemin" is \u.vʁiʁ lə ʃə.mɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ouvrir le chemin" come from?
"ouvrir le chemin" 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 “ouvrir le chemin”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is O-U-V-R-I-R- -L-E- -C-H-E-M-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \u.vʁiʁ lə ʃə.mɛ̃\ (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