passer le temps

\pa.se lə tɑ̃\

/\pa.se lə tɑ̃\/ verb

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

The verdict

“passer le temps” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. 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) - Occuper son temps à des actions peu importantes.

Key facts for passer le temps
PropertyValue
Headwordpasser le temps
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\pa.se lə tɑ̃\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “passer le temps” sits in French frequency

passer le temps 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.

Rare enough to double-check

passer le temps is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \pa.se lə tɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Occuper son temps à des actions peu importantes.".

passer le temps has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

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 passer le temps, spelled P-A-S-S-E-R- -L-E- -T-E-M-P-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Occuper son temps à des actions peu importantes.

Synonyms

tuer le temps

This word in other languages

pass the time(English)

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 "passer le temps"?
"passer le temps" is spelled P-A-S-S-E-R- -L-E- -T-E-M-P-S. The IPA pronunciation is \pa.se lə tɑ̃\.
What does "passer le temps" mean?
As a verb, "passer le temps" means: Occuper son temps à des actions peu importantes.
How do you pronounce "passer le temps"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "passer le temps" is \pa.se lə tɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "passer le temps" come from?
"passer le temps" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “passer le temps”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-A-S-S-E-R- -L-E- -T-E-M-P-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pa.se lə tɑ̃\ (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