repoussoir

\ʁə.pu.swaʁ\

/\ʁə.pu.swaʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“repoussoir” is uncommon French (frequency #56,880 among 507,453 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,880
frequency rank, French
507,453
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Outil qui sert à faire sortir des clous, des chevilles.

Key facts for repoussoir
PropertyValue
Headwordrepoussoir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁə.pu.swaʁ\
Letters10
Frequency rank#56,880
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “repoussoir” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). repoussoir lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

repoussoir is uncommon French at frequency #56,880 among 507,453 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \ʁə.pu.swaʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for repoussoir in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is repoussoir, spelled R-E-P-O-U-S-S-O-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Outil qui sert à faire sortir des clous, des chevilles.
  2. 2
    Instrument ou outil qui sert à faire ressortir les reliefs.
  3. 3
    Objet vigoureux de couleur ou très ombré, qu’on place sur le devant d’un tableau, pour faire paraître les autres objets plus éloignés.
  4. 4
    Personne ou chose qui suscite le rejet.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "repoussoir"?
"repoussoir" is spelled R-E-P-O-U-S-S-O-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁə.pu.swaʁ\.
What does "repoussoir" mean?
As a noun, "repoussoir" means: Outil qui sert à faire sortir des clous, des chevilles.
How do you pronounce "repoussoir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "repoussoir" is \ʁə.pu.swaʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "repoussoir" come from?
"repoussoir" 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 “repoussoir”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is R-E-P-O-U-S-S-O-I-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁə.pu.swaʁ\ (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

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list