quelque chose

\kɛl.kə ʃoz\

/\kɛl.kə ʃoz\/ pron

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Objet ou chose indéfinie, indéterminée mais existante.

Corpus desk

Index FR-quelque-chose · quelque chose · French

quelque chose · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Q" 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 quelque chose
PropertyValue
Headwordquelque chose
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPronoun
IPA\kɛl.kə ʃoz\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « quelque chose » en français

quelque chosesiège 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

quelque chose is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as apronoun, transcribed \kɛl.kə ʃoz\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for quelque chose in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is quelque chose, spelled Q-U-E-L-Q-U-E- -C-H-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Objet ou chose indéfinie, indéterminée mais existante.
  2. 2
    Quelque chose de meilleur ou de bien.
  3. 3
    Sert à faire une estimation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On n’eût point dit d’ailleurs, en le voyant, qu’il se passât quelque chose d’insolite par la ville, ni au Louvre ; il était vêtu avec son élégance ordinaire.
  2. Charles de Bernage, spéculateur enrichi et futur candidat à la députation, n'avait jamais eu le temps de s'apercevoir qu'il lui manquait quelque chose.

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 "quelque chose"?
"quelque chose" is spelled Q-U-E-L-Q-U-E- -C-H-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \kɛl.kə ʃoz\.
What does "quelque chose" mean?
As a pronoun, "quelque chose" means: Objet ou chose indéfinie, indéterminée mais existante.
How do you pronounce "quelque chose"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quelque chose" is \kɛl.kə ʃoz\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "quelque chose" come from?
"quelque chose" 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