petit jour

\pə.ti ʒuʁ\

/\pə.ti ʒuʁ\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Aurore ; aube matinale ; bonne heure.

Corpus desk

Index FR-petit-jour · petit jour · French

petit jour · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

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

Longue queue: rang de « petit jour » en français

petit journ'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

petit jour is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pə.ti ʒuʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how petit jour appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Depuis cinq jours, il ne sort plus de chez lui, et fait dire qu’il est au lit. Mais dimanche, à six heures du matin, au petit jour, il est sorti pour aller à la messe.
  2. Ce matin-là, dans le petit jour d’un hiver pluvieux, cinglé d’une bise aigre, à Chartres, Durtal, frissonnant, mal à l’aise, quitta la terrasse.

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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list