point de départ

\pwɛ̃ də de.paʁ\

/\pwɛ̃ də de.paʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“point de départ” 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) - [Sens spatial] Lieu d'où l'on est parti.

Key facts for point de départ
PropertyValue
Headwordpoint de départ
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pwɛ̃ də de.paʁ\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “point de départ” sits in French frequency

point de départ 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

point de départ is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pwɛ̃ də de.paʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for point de départ in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is point de départ, spelled P-O-I-N-T- -D-E- -D-É-P-A-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    [Sens spatial] Lieu d'où l'on est parti.
  2. 2
    [Sens temporel] Point d’origine dans le temps.
  3. 3
    Début ou commencement d’une action.

Synonyms

Antonyms

point d’arrivée

This word in other languages

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 "point de départ"?
"point de départ" is spelled P-O-I-N-T- -D-E- -D-É-P-A-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is \pwɛ̃ də de.paʁ\.
What does "point de départ" mean?
As a noun, "point de départ" means: [Sens spatial] Lieu d'où l'on est parti.
How do you pronounce "point de départ"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "point de départ" is \pwɛ̃ də de.paʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "point de départ" come from?
"point de départ" 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 “point de départ”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-O-I-N-T- -D-E- -D-É-P-A-R-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pwɛ̃ də de.paʁ\ (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