petit jour

\pə.ti ʒuʁ\

/\pə.ti ʒuʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“petit jour” 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
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Aurore ; aube matinale ; bonne heure.

Key facts for petit jour
PropertyValue
Headwordpetit jour
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pə.ti ʒuʁ\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “petit jour” sits in French frequency

petit jour 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 jour is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pə.ti ʒuʁ\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for petit jour, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is petit jour, spelled P-E-T-I-T- -J-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Aurore ; aube matinale ; bonne heure.
  2. 2
    Jour de réception où sont accueillis les intimes.

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 jour"?
"petit jour" is spelled P-E-T-I-T- -J-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is \pə.ti ʒuʁ\.
What does "petit jour" mean?
As a noun, "petit jour" means: Aurore ; aube matinale ; bonne heure.
How do you pronounce "petit jour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "petit jour" is \pə.ti ʒuʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "petit jour" come from?
"petit jour" 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 “petit jour”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-E-T-I-T- -J-O-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pə.ti ʒuʁ\ (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