tout de même

\tu də mɛm\

/\tu də mɛm\/ adv

The verdict

“tout de même” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - De la même manière.

Key facts for tout de même
PropertyValue
Headwordtout de même
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\tu də mɛm\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tout de même” sits in French frequency

tout de même 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 tout de même is 12 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \tu də mɛm\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for tout de même in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. 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 spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is tout de même, spelled T-O-U-T- -D-E- -M-Ê-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    De la même manière.
  2. 2
    Malgré ce qui vient d’être dit, en dépit de ce qui est arrivé ou pourrait arriver.
  3. 3
    Pour renforcer une expression, pour insister ou pour protester.

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 "tout de même"?
"tout de même" is spelled T-O-U-T- -D-E- -M-Ê-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is \tu də mɛm\.
What does "tout de même" mean?
As an adverb, "tout de même" means: De la même manière.
How do you pronounce "tout de même"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tout de même" is \tu də mɛm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tout de même" come from?
"tout de même" 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 “tout de même”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is T-O-U-T- -D-E- -M-Ê-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \tu də mɛm\ (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