presse-papier

\pʁɛs.pa.pje\

/\pʁɛs.pa.pje\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Objet lourd qu'on pose sur des papiers pour empêcher qu'ils se dispersent.

Key facts for presse-papier
PropertyValue
Headwordpresse-papier
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pʁɛs.pa.pje\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “presse-papier” sits in French frequency

presse-papier 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

presse-papier is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \pʁɛs.pa.pje\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for presse-papier in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored 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 presse-papier, spelled P-R-E-S-S-E---P-A-P-I-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Objet lourd qu'on pose sur des papiers pour empêcher qu'ils se dispersent.
  2. 2
    Élément du système d’exploitation qui stocke temporairement les données dans les opérations de copié-collé.

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 "presse-papier"?
"presse-papier" is spelled P-R-E-S-S-E---P-A-P-I-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \pʁɛs.pa.pje\.
What does "presse-papier" mean?
As a noun, "presse-papier" means: Objet lourd qu'on pose sur des papiers pour empêcher qu'ils se dispersent.
How do you pronounce "presse-papier"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "presse-papier" is \pʁɛs.pa.pje\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "presse-papier" come from?
"presse-papier" 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.

Using “presse-papier”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-R-E-S-S-E---P-A-P-I-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pʁɛs.pa.pje\ (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