temps de chien

\tɑ̃ də ʃjɛ̃\

/\tɑ̃ də ʃjɛ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“temps de chien” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mauvais temps, mauvais climat.

Corpus desk

Index FR-temps-de-chien · temps de chien · French

temps de chien · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 temps de chien
PropertyValue
Headwordtemps de chien
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\tɑ̃ də ʃjɛ̃\
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « temps de chien » en français

temps de chienn'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

temps de chien is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \tɑ̃ də ʃjɛ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Mauvais temps, mauvais climat.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for temps de chien, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is temps de chien, spelled T-E-M-P-S- -D-E- -C-H-I-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mauvais temps, mauvais climat.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Nous sommes là depuis vingt-quatre heures, par un temps de chien, mais dans un site admirable, au bord de la grande mer, au pied des montagnes, et perchés nous-mêmes sur une colline couverte de pins superbes qui nous cachent entièrement, et qui encadrent les plus belles vues du monde.

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 "temps de chien"?
"temps de chien" is spelled T-E-M-P-S- -D-E- -C-H-I-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \tɑ̃ də ʃjɛ̃\.
What does "temps de chien" mean?
As a noun, "temps de chien" means: Mauvais temps, mauvais climat.
How do you pronounce "temps de chien"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "temps de chien" is \tɑ̃ də ʃjɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "temps de chien" come from?
"temps de chien" 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