quoi que c’est que

\kwa kə s‿ɛ kə\

/\kwa kə s‿ɛ kə\/ pron

The verdict

“quoi que c’est que” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a pronoun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
18
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Qu’est-ce que.

Corpus desk

Index FR-quoi-que-c-est-que · quoi que c’est que · French

quoi que c’est que · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 18 letters
  • VOW-8 8 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 quoi que c’est que
PropertyValue
Headwordquoi que c’est que
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPronoun
IPA\kwa kə s‿ɛ kə\
Letters18
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « quoi que c’est que » en français

quoi que c’est quesiège 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

quoi que c’est que is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as apronoun, transcribed \kwa kə s‿ɛ kə\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for quoi que c’est que, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

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 quoi que c’est que, spelled Q-U-O-I- -Q-U-E- -C-’-E-S-T- -Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qu’est-ce que.
  2. 2
    Ce que.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how quoi que c’est que appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Oh ! oh ! oh ! oh ! dit Nanon, quoi que c’est que ça, les marins de la garde ? C’est-y salé ? Ça va-t-il sur l’eau ?
  2. Eh ben! Jean Grivet, pourquoi que vous avez l'air en dessous comme ça?... Quoi que c'est que vous voulez me dire?... faut oser...

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 "quoi que c’est que"?
"quoi que c’est que" is spelled Q-U-O-I- -Q-U-E- -C-’-E-S-T- -Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is \kwa kə s‿ɛ kə\.
What does "quoi que c’est que" mean?
As a pronoun, "quoi que c’est que" means: Qu’est-ce que.
How do you pronounce "quoi que c’est que"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quoi que c’est que" is \kwa kə s‿ɛ kə\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "quoi que c’est que" come from?
"quoi que c’est que" 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