per diem

\pɛʁ di.ɛm\

/\pɛʁ di.ɛm\/ noun

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

The verdict

“per diem” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Indemnité perçue par l’expatrié pour couvrir ses besoins essentiels dans un pays étranger au sien.

Key facts for per diem
PropertyValue
Headwordper diem
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pɛʁ di.ɛm\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “per diem” sits in French frequency

per diem 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

per diem is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pɛʁ di.ɛm\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Indemnité perçue par l’expatrié pour couvrir ses besoins essentiels dans un pays étranger au sien.".

No misspelling variants are generated for per diem in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is per diem, spelled P-E-R- -D-I-E-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Indemnité perçue par l’expatrié pour couvrir ses besoins essentiels dans un pays étranger au sien.

Synonyms

viatique

This word in other languages

per diem(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 "per diem"?
"per diem" is spelled P-E-R- -D-I-E-M. The IPA pronunciation is \pɛʁ di.ɛm\.
What does "per diem" mean?
As a noun, "per diem" means: Indemnité perçue par l’expatrié pour couvrir ses besoins essentiels dans un pays étranger au sien.
How do you pronounce "per diem"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "per diem" is \pɛʁ di.ɛm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "per diem" come from?
"per diem" 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 “per diem”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-E-R- -D-I-E-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pɛʁ di.ɛm\ (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