sous-payer

\su.pɛ.je\

/\su.pɛ.je\/ verb

The verdict

“sous-payer” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. 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) - Débourser pour une chose, moins que son prix normal.

Corpus desk

Index FR-sous-payer · sous-payer · French

sous-payer · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 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 sous-payer
PropertyValue
Headwordsous-payer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\su.pɛ.je\
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « sous-payer » en français

sous-payern'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

sous-payer is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \su.pɛ.je\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for sous-payer, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

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 sous-payer, spelled S-O-U-S---P-A-Y-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Débourser pour une chose, moins que son prix normal.
  2. 2
    Rémunérer quelqu’un moins que la valeur de son œuvre ou de son travail.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Une nation qui ignore, méprise et sous-paye ses infirmières, ses policiers, ses chercheurs et ses enseignants est une nation en danger.
  2. Moi, j’avais un casier universitaire vierge et une belle absence d’antécédent dans le domaine du travail : on avait donc le droit de me sous-payer.

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 "sous-payer"?
"sous-payer" is spelled S-O-U-S---P-A-Y-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \su.pɛ.je\.
What does "sous-payer" mean?
As a verb, "sous-payer" means: Débourser pour une chose, moins que son prix normal.
How do you pronounce "sous-payer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sous-payer" is \su.pɛ.je\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sous-payer" come from?
"sous-payer" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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