pièce maîtresse

\pjɛs mɛ.tʁɛs\

/\pjɛs mɛ.tʁɛs\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pierre de soutènement d’un édifice.

Key facts for pièce maîtresse
PropertyValue
Headwordpièce maîtresse
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pjɛs mɛ.tʁɛs\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pièce maîtresse” sits in French frequency

pièce maîtresse 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

pièce maîtresse is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pjɛs mɛ.tʁɛs\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for pièce maîtresse in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is pièce maîtresse, spelled P-I-È-C-E- -M-A-Î-T-R-E-S-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pierre de soutènement d’un édifice.
  2. 2
    Élément principal.

This word in other languages

cornerstone(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 "pièce maîtresse"?
"pièce maîtresse" is spelled P-I-È-C-E- -M-A-Î-T-R-E-S-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pjɛs mɛ.tʁɛs\.
What does "pièce maîtresse" mean?
As a noun, "pièce maîtresse" means: Pierre de soutènement d’un édifice.
How do you pronounce "pièce maîtresse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pièce maîtresse" is \pjɛs mɛ.tʁɛs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pièce maîtresse" come from?
"pièce maîtresse" 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 “pièce maîtresse”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-I-È-C-E- -M-A-Î-T-R-E-S-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pjɛs mɛ.tʁɛs\ (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