paille-en-queue
\pɑ.j‿ɑ̃.kø\
The verdict
“paille-en-queue” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 15
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Oiseaux de mer de la famille des piscatricidés (phaethontidés), genre Phaethon, dont la queue a deux longues plumes étroites.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | paille-en-queue |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \pɑ.j‿ɑ̃.kø\ |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “paille-en-queue” sits in French frequency
Rare enough to double-check
paille-en-queue is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pɑ.j‿ɑ̃.kø\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Oiseaux de mer de la famille des piscatricidés (phaethontidés), genre Phaethon, dont la queue a deux longues plumes étroites.".
paille-en-queue doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, 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 paille-en-queue, spelled P-A-I-L-L-E---E-N---Q-U-E-U-E.
Definition
- 1Oiseaux de mer de la famille des piscatricidés (phaethontidés), genre Phaethon, dont la queue a deux longues plumes étroites.
Synonyms
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
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Using “paille-en-queue”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is P-A-I-L-L-E---E-N---Q-U-E-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \pɑ.j‿ɑ̃.kø\ (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.