sans doute

\sɑ̃ dut\

/\sɑ̃ dut\/ adv

The verdict

“sans doute” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Selon toutes les apparences ; probablement.

Corpus desk

Index FR-sans-doute · sans doute · French

sans doute · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" 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 sans doute
PropertyValue
Headwordsans doute
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\sɑ̃ dut\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « sans doute » en français

sans douten'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

sans doute is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \sɑ̃ dut\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for sans doute in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is sans doute, spelled S-A-N-S- -D-O-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Selon toutes les apparences ; probablement.
  2. 2
    Assurément ; certes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […], le chien s’était mis à rôder dans les environs, fouillant avidement les tas d’ordures, sans doute pour y déterrer un os ou quelque régal de ce genre.
  2. Je me rendis avec les chefs militaires aux tentes de Si Saïd, où on nous servit une collation de dattes et de lait de chamelle, une vieille tradition nomade sans doute.

Synonyms

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 "sans doute"?
"sans doute" is spelled S-A-N-S- -D-O-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \sɑ̃ dut\.
What does "sans doute" mean?
As an adverb, "sans doute" means: Selon toutes les apparences ; probablement.
How do you pronounce "sans doute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sans doute" is \sɑ̃ dut\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sans doute" come from?
"sans doute" 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