un peu

\œ̃ pø\

/\œ̃ pø\/ adv

The verdict

“un peu” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - En petite quantité, pas beaucoup. On utilise quelques-uns pour les dénombrables.

Corpus desk

Index FR-un-peu · un peu · French

un peu · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" 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 un peu
PropertyValue
Headwordun peu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\œ̃ pø\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « un peu » en français

un peureste 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

un peu is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \œ̃ pø\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for un peu in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is un peu, spelled U-N- -P-E-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    En petite quantité, pas beaucoup. On utilise quelques-uns pour les dénombrables.
  2. 2
    Une petite quantité. On utilise quelques pour les dénombrables.
  3. 3
    Un court moment, de manière rapide.
  4. 4
    Ajouté à un impératif pour le rendre plus supportable.
  5. 5
    Définition manquante ou à compléter. (Ajouter)
  6. 6
    Définition manquante ou à compléter. (Ajouter)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Quand il suivit un peu plus tard comme externe les classes du collège d'Arbois, il appartint tout d'abord à la catégorie des élèves que l'on pourrait appeler bons-ordinaires.
  2. Là, limite, ma performance individuelle, je m’en tape un peu.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "un peu"?
"un peu" is spelled U-N- -P-E-U. The IPA pronunciation is \œ̃ pø\.
What does "un peu" mean?
As an adverb, "un peu" means: En petite quantité, pas beaucoup. On utilise quelques-uns pour les dénombrables.
How do you pronounce "un peu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "un peu" is \œ̃ pø\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "un peu" come from?
"un peu" 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list