petit bout de chou

\pə.ti bu də ʃu\

/\pə.ti bu də ʃu\/ noun

The verdict

“petit bout de chou” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
18
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Jeune enfant, bébé.

Key facts for petit bout de chou
PropertyValue
Headwordpetit bout de chou
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pə.ti bu də ʃu\
Letters18
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “petit bout de chou” sits in French frequency

petit bout de chou 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 petit bout de chou is 18 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pə.ti bu də ʃu\. 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: "Jeune enfant, bébé.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for petit bout de chou in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is petit bout de chou, spelled P-E-T-I-T- -B-O-U-T- -D-E- -C-H-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Jeune enfant, bébé.

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 "petit bout de chou"?
"petit bout de chou" is spelled P-E-T-I-T- -B-O-U-T- -D-E- -C-H-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is \pə.ti bu də ʃu\.
What does "petit bout de chou" mean?
As a noun, "petit bout de chou" means: Jeune enfant, bébé.
How do you pronounce "petit bout de chou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "petit bout de chou" is \pə.ti bu də ʃu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "petit bout de chou" come from?
"petit bout de chou" 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 “petit bout de chou”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-E-T-I-T- -B-O-U-T- -D-E- -C-H-O-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pə.ti bu də ʃu\ (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