tirer au sort

\ti.ʁe o sɔʁ\

/\ti.ʁe o sɔʁ\/ verb

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

The verdict

“tirer au sort” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sélectionner aléatoirement.

Key facts for tirer au sort
PropertyValue
Headwordtirer au sort
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ti.ʁe o sɔʁ\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tirer au sort” sits in French frequency

tirer au sort 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 tirer au sort is 13 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ti.ʁe o sɔʁ\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for tirer au sort in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

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 tirer au sort, spelled T-I-R-E-R- -A-U- -S-O-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sélectionner aléatoirement.
  2. 2
    Sélectionner les conscrits par le hasard.

This word in other languages

cast(English)sortear(Español)auslosen(Deutsch)sortear(Português)

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 "tirer au sort"?
"tirer au sort" is spelled T-I-R-E-R- -A-U- -S-O-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ti.ʁe o sɔʁ\.
What does "tirer au sort" mean?
As a verb, "tirer au sort" means: Sélectionner aléatoirement.
How do you pronounce "tirer au sort"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tirer au sort" is \ti.ʁe o sɔʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tirer au sort" come from?
"tirer au sort" 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.

Using “tirer au sort”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is T-I-R-E-R- -A-U- -S-O-R-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ti.ʁe o sɔʁ\ (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