tant pis

\tɑ̃ pi\

/\tɑ̃ pi\/ adv

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - C’est dommage, c’est ennuyeux, c’est préjudiciable mais c’est ainsi.

Corpus desk

Index FR-tant-pis · tant pis · French

tant pis · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" 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 tant pis
PropertyValue
Headwordtant pis
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\tɑ̃ pi\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « tant pis » en français

tant pissiège 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

tant pis is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \tɑ̃ pi\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

tant pis has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

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 tant pis, spelled T-A-N-T- -P-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    C’est dommage, c’est ennuyeux, c’est préjudiciable mais c’est ainsi.
  2. 2
    Bien fait !
  3. 3
    Exprime l'idée de continuer une action ou accepter une situation malgré un obstacle, une objection ou une contrainte.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. « Elle ne sera pas là demain. — Bon, tant pis, on fera sans elle. »
  2. Lisette.— Premièrement, il est beau ; et c’est presque tant pis. Monsieur Orgon.— Tant pis ! rêves-tu avec ton tant pis ?

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 "tant pis"?
"tant pis" is spelled T-A-N-T- -P-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is \tɑ̃ pi\.
What does "tant pis" mean?
As an adverb, "tant pis" means: C’est dommage, c’est ennuyeux, c’est préjudiciable mais c’est ainsi.
How do you pronounce "tant pis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tant pis" is \tɑ̃ pi\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tant pis" come from?
"tant pis" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list