vœu pieux
\vø pjø\
The verdict
“vœu pieux” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Souhait que le locuteur pense irréalisable.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | vœu pieux |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \vø pjø\ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “vœu pieux” sits in French frequency
Rare enough to double-check
vœu pieux is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \vø pjø\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Souhait que le locuteur pense irréalisable.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for vœu pieux, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is vœu pieux, spelled V-Œ-U- -P-I-E-U-X.
Definition
- 1Souhait que le locuteur pense irréalisable.
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
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Using “vœu pieux”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is V-Œ-U- -P-I-E-U-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \vø pjø\ (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.