pointer son nez

\pwɛ̃.te sɔ̃ ne\

/\pwɛ̃.te sɔ̃ ne\/ verb

The verdict

“pointer son nez” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
15
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Apparaître, se montrer, se faire voir.

Corpus desk

Index FR-pointer-son-nez · pointer son nez · French

pointer son nez · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 15 letters
  • VOW-5 5 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 pointer son nez
PropertyValue
Headwordpointer son nez
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\pwɛ̃.te sɔ̃ ne\
Letters15
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « pointer son nez » en français

pointer son nezsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

pointer son nez is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \pwɛ̃.te sɔ̃ ne\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Apparaître, se montrer, se faire voir.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for pointer son nez, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is pointer son nez, spelled P-O-I-N-T-E-R- -S-O-N- -N-E-Z.

Definition

  1. 1
    Apparaître, se montrer, se faire voir.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. L’humour noir pointe parfois son nez dans The Killer, témoignant du génie du réalisateur, de l’acteur et du scénariste Andrew Kevin Walker, déjà coauteur de Seven.

Synonyms

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 "pointer son nez"?
"pointer son nez" is spelled P-O-I-N-T-E-R- -S-O-N- -N-E-Z. The IPA pronunciation is \pwɛ̃.te sɔ̃ ne\.
What does "pointer son nez" mean?
As a verb, "pointer son nez" means: Apparaître, se montrer, se faire voir.
How do you pronounce "pointer son nez"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pointer son nez" is \pwɛ̃.te sɔ̃ ne\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pointer son nez" come from?
"pointer son nez" 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