vaille que vaille

\vaj kə vaj\

/\vaj kə vaj\/ adv

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
17
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tant bien que mal, à tout hasard, quoi qu’il en soit.

Corpus desk

Index FR-vaille-que-vaille · vaille que vaille · French

vaille que vaille · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 17 letters
  • VOW-8 8 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "V" 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 vaille que vaille
PropertyValue
Headwordvaille que vaille
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\vaj kə vaj\
Letters17
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « vaille que vaille » en français

vaille que vaillesiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

vaille que vaille is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \vaj kə vaj\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Tant bien que mal, à tout hasard, quoi qu’il en soit.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for vaille que vaille, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is vaille que vaille, spelled V-A-I-L-L-E- -Q-U-E- -V-A-I-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tant bien que mal, à tout hasard, quoi qu’il en soit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Le lendemain, elle avait, vaille que vaille, réuni une troupe et elle commençait une grande tournée.
  2. Je gagnais ma vie vaille que vaille, en triant les manuscrits des autres et en rédigeant, chaque trimestre, quelque récit imbécile et violent. Je n’avais pas d’autre ambition que de gagner ma vie.

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 "vaille que vaille"?
"vaille que vaille" is spelled V-A-I-L-L-E- -Q-U-E- -V-A-I-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \vaj kə vaj\.
What does "vaille que vaille" mean?
As an adverb, "vaille que vaille" means: Tant bien que mal, à tout hasard, quoi qu’il en soit.
How do you pronounce "vaille que vaille"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vaille que vaille" is \vaj kə vaj\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "vaille que vaille" come from?
"vaille que vaille" 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