vache à lait

\va.ʃ‿a lɛ\

/\va.ʃ‿a lɛ\/ noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vache à laquelle on a enlevé son veau et dont le lait est employé pour les besoins de l’homme.

Key facts for vache à lait
PropertyValue
Headwordvache à lait
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\va.ʃ‿a lɛ\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “vache à lait” sits in French frequency

vache à lait 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

vache à lait is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \va.ʃ‿a lɛ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for vache à lait in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. 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 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 vache à lait, spelled V-A-C-H-E- -À- -L-A-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vache à laquelle on a enlevé son veau et dont le lait est employé pour les besoins de l’homme.
  2. 2
    Personne que l’on exploite ou chose dont on tire un profit continuel.
  3. 3
    Activité qui réclame peu d’investissement et qui génère une trésorerie importante.

Synonyms

vache laitièrecochon de payeurpoule aux œufs d’or

This word in other languages

cash cow(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 "vache à lait"?
"vache à lait" is spelled V-A-C-H-E- -À- -L-A-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is \va.ʃ‿a lɛ\.
What does "vache à lait" mean?
As a noun, "vache à lait" means: Vache à laquelle on a enlevé son veau et dont le lait est employé pour les besoins de l’homme.
How do you pronounce "vache à lait"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vache à lait" is \va.ʃ‿a lɛ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "vache à lait" come from?
"vache à lait" 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.

Using “vache à lait”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is V-A-C-H-E- -À- -L-A-I-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \va.ʃ‿a lɛ\ (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