tohu-bohu

\tɔ.y.bɔ.y\

/\tɔ.y.bɔ.y\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Chaos primitif, dans la Genèse.

Corpus desk

Index FR-tohu-bohu · tohu-bohu · French

tohu-bohu · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 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 tohu-bohu
PropertyValue
Headwordtohu-bohu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\tɔ.y.bɔ.y\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tohu-bohu” sits in French frequency

tohu-bohu 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.

Rare enough to double-check

tohu-bohu is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \tɔ.y.bɔ.y\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for tohu-bohu, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is tohu-bohu, spelled T-O-H-U---B-O-H-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Chaos primitif, dans la Genèse.
  2. 2
    Grande confusion ; grand désordre.

Synonyms

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tohu-bohu"?
"tohu-bohu" is spelled T-O-H-U---B-O-H-U. The IPA pronunciation is \tɔ.y.bɔ.y\.
What does "tohu-bohu" mean?
As a noun, "tohu-bohu" means: Chaos primitif, dans la Genèse.
How do you pronounce "tohu-bohu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tohu-bohu" is \tɔ.y.bɔ.y\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tohu-bohu" come from?
"tohu-bohu" 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.
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