passer par la cervelle

\pa.se paʁ la sɛ.vɛl\

/\pa.se paʁ la sɛ.vɛl\/ verb

The verdict

“passer par la cervelle” 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
22
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Passer par la tête.

Key facts for passer par la cervelle
PropertyValue
Headwordpasser par la cervelle
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\pa.se paʁ la sɛ.vɛl\
Letters22
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “passer par la cervelle” sits in French frequency

passer par la cervelle 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 passer par la cervelle is 22 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pa.se paʁ la sɛ.vɛl\. 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: "Passer par la tête.".

Zero misspellings are on record for passer par la cervelle in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, 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 passer par la cervelle, spelled P-A-S-S-E-R- -P-A-R- -L-A- -C-E-R-V-E-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Passer par la tête.

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 par la cervelle"?
"passer par la cervelle" is spelled P-A-S-S-E-R- -P-A-R- -L-A- -C-E-R-V-E-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pa.se paʁ la sɛ.vɛl\.
What does "passer par la cervelle" mean?
As a verb, "passer par la cervelle" means: Passer par la tête.
How do you pronounce "passer par la cervelle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "passer par la cervelle" is \pa.se paʁ la sɛ.vɛl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "passer par la cervelle" come from?
"passer par la cervelle" 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 “passer par la cervelle”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-A-S-S-E-R- -P-A-R- -L-A- -C-E-R-V-E-L-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pa.se paʁ la sɛ.vɛl\ (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