tour de cou

\tuʁ də ku\

/\tuʁ də ku\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Accessoire vestimentaire en plumes ou en fourrure entourant le cou, appelé aussi boa.

Corpus desk

Index FR-tour-de-cou · tour de cou · French

tour de cou · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 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 tour de cou
PropertyValue
Headwordtour de cou
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\tuʁ də ku\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « tour de cou » en français

tour de coureste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tour de cou is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \tuʁ də ku\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for tour de cou, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is tour de cou, spelled T-O-U-R- -D-E- -C-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Accessoire vestimentaire en plumes ou en fourrure entourant le cou, appelé aussi boa.
  2. 2
    Vêtement que l’on enfile par la tête pour le porter autour du cou.
  3. 3
    Coussin circulaire que l’on porte pour caler le cou.
  4. 4
    Sangle portée autour du cou afin de transporter une clé, un badge.
  5. 5
    Encolure ou mesure de la circonférence du cou.
  6. 6
    Taille d'une chemise.
  7. 7
    Collier ras-de-cou.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Les femmes, à l'époque, portaient des « boas » qui étaient des tours de cou, en plumes. Mme Hartmann, un peu étourdie, oubliait ici, un parapluie, là, une paire de gants... Un jour qu’elle avait passé l’après-midi chez ma marraine, au moment de partir, elle lui dit : – Oh ! Mary. J’allais encore oublier mon « trou du cou » chez vous…
  2. tour de cou et coussins

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 "tour de cou"?
"tour de cou" is spelled T-O-U-R- -D-E- -C-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is \tuʁ də ku\.
What does "tour de cou" mean?
As a noun, "tour de cou" means: Accessoire vestimentaire en plumes ou en fourrure entourant le cou, appelé aussi boa.
How do you pronounce "tour de cou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tour de cou" is \tuʁ də ku\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tour de cou" come from?
"tour de cou" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list