savoir-faire

\sa.vwaʁ fɛʁ\

/\sa.vwaʁ fɛʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“savoir-faire” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Connaissance pratique d'un domaine.

Key facts for savoir-faire
PropertyValue
Headwordsavoir-faire
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sa.vwaʁ fɛʁ\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “savoir-faire” sits in French frequency

savoir-faire 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for savoir-faire is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \sa.vwaʁ fɛʁ\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Connaissance pratique d'un domaine.".

savoir-faire doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is savoir-faire, spelled S-A-V-O-I-R---F-A-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Connaissance pratique d'un domaine.

This word in other languages

expertise(English)pericia(Español)Routine(Deutsch)

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 "savoir-faire"?
"savoir-faire" is spelled S-A-V-O-I-R---F-A-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \sa.vwaʁ fɛʁ\.
What does "savoir-faire" mean?
As a noun, "savoir-faire" means: Connaissance pratique d'un domaine.
How do you pronounce "savoir-faire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "savoir-faire" is \sa.vwaʁ fɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "savoir-faire" come from?
"savoir-faire" 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.

Using “savoir-faire”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-A-V-O-I-R---F-A-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \sa.vwaʁ fɛʁ\ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list