tombée

\tɔ̃.be\

/\tɔ̃.be\/ noun

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

The verdict

“tombée” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,292 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,292
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Chute, mouvement de ce qui tombe, au propre ou au figuré, ou survenue d'un évènement.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tombée vs tome
67% similar
tombée vs tomes
50% similar
tombée vs tomber
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tombée
PropertyValue
Headwordtombée
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\tɔ̃.be\
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,292
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tombée” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). tombée lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for tombée is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \tɔ̃.be\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,292 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tombée, with forms such as "otmbée", "tmobée", and "tobmée". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "tome", "tomes", "tomber", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is tombée, spelled T-O-M-B-É-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Chute, mouvement de ce qui tombe, au propre ou au figuré, ou survenue d'un évènement.
  2. 2
    Petite dose d’un ingrédient (pincée, filet, trait, etc.).
  3. 3
    Garniture d’un plat en petite quantité, typiquement une ou deux cuillerées à soupe, et disposée avec soin.
  4. 4
    Goutte de sirop qu’on ajoute au dernier moment en la laissant tomber d’environ 15 centimètres au-dessus du verre, pour la décoration.
  5. 5
    Chute de tissu, morceau inutilisé une fois un tissu découpé.
  6. 6
    Large groupe d’oiseaux migrateurs se posant en chemin.
  7. 7
    Brève chute de quelques flocons de neige ou gouttes de pluie.

This word in other languages

fall(English)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: otmbée,tmobée,tobmée,tombbée,tombee,tombeé,tommbée,tomébe,ttombée

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tombée - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

otmbée2tmobée2tobmée2tombbée1tombee1tombeé2tommbée1tomébe2
Edit distance from "tombée"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tombée"?
"tombée" is spelled T-O-M-B-É-E. The IPA pronunciation is \tɔ̃.be\.
What does "tombée" mean?
As a noun, "tombée" means: Chute, mouvement de ce qui tombe, au propre ou au figuré, ou survenue d'un évènement.
What words are commonly confused with "tombée"?
"tombée" is commonly confused with "tome", "tomes", "tomber". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tombée"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tombée" is \tɔ̃.be\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tombée" come from?
"tombée" 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.

Using “tombée”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is T-O-M-B-É-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \tɔ̃.be\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “tome” - see the side-by-side comparison. tombée vs tome
  • 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