tour de passe-passe

\tuʁ də pɑs.pɑs\

/\tuʁ də pɑs.pɑs\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
19
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tour d’adresse que font les prestidigitateurs.

Key facts for tour de passe-passe
PropertyValue
Headwordtour de passe-passe
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\tuʁ də pɑs.pɑs\
Letters19
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tour de passe-passe” sits in French frequency

tour de passe-passe 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

tour de passe-passe is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \tuʁ də pɑs.pɑs\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

tour de passe-passe doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is tour de passe-passe, spelled T-O-U-R- -D-E- -P-A-S-S-E---P-A-S-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tour d’adresse que font les prestidigitateurs.
  2. 2
    Fourberie ; escamotage.

Synonyms

tour de magietour de main

This word in other languages

sleight of hand(English)

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 passe-passe"?
"tour de passe-passe" is spelled T-O-U-R- -D-E- -P-A-S-S-E---P-A-S-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is \tuʁ də pɑs.pɑs\.
What does "tour de passe-passe" mean?
As a noun, "tour de passe-passe" means: Tour d’adresse que font les prestidigitateurs.
How do you pronounce "tour de passe-passe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tour de passe-passe" is \tuʁ də pɑs.pɑs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tour de passe-passe" come from?
"tour de passe-passe" 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 “tour de passe-passe”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is T-O-U-R- -D-E- -P-A-S-S-E---P-A-S-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \tuʁ də pɑs.pɑs\ (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