point noir

\pwɛ̃ nwaʁ\

/\pwɛ̃ nwaʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“point noir” 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) - Comédon ouvert.

Corpus desk

Index FR-point-noir · point noir · French

point noir · 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 point noir
PropertyValue
Headwordpoint noir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pwɛ̃ nwaʁ\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « point noir » en français

point noirreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

point noir is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pwɛ̃ nwaʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for point noir in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is point noir, spelled P-O-I-N-T- -N-O-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Comédon ouvert.
  2. 2
    Nuage noir qui paraît dans un ciel clair et qui annonce l’orage.
  3. 3
    Toute circonstance qui, dans une situation d’ailleurs prospère, fait prévoir des troubles, des malheurs.
  4. 4
    Lieux d'accident

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. — Venez ici, j’ai un « point noir » à la tempe et, depuis deux jours, le cœur me manque pour le pincer…
  2. Preuve en est : si elles avaient le choix, les prostituées ne le feraient pas. Tu parles d’une rhétorique… comme si l’épileuse de chez Yves Rocher étalait de la cire ou perçait des points noirs par pure vocation esthétique.

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 noir"?
"point noir" is spelled P-O-I-N-T- -N-O-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \pwɛ̃ nwaʁ\.
What does "point noir" mean?
As a noun, "point noir" means: Comédon ouvert.
How do you pronounce "point noir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "point noir" is \pwɛ̃ nwaʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "point noir" come from?
"point noir" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list