vouloir dire

\vu.lwaʁ diʁ\

/\vu.lwaʁ diʁ\/ verb

The verdict

“vouloir dire” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Signifier.

Corpus desk

Index FR-vouloir-dire · vouloir dire · French

vouloir dire · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-6 6 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 vouloir dire
PropertyValue
Headwordvouloir dire
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\vu.lwaʁ diʁ\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « vouloir dire » en français

vouloir diren'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

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

Rare enough to double-check

vouloir dire is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \vu.lwaʁ diʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

vouloir dire has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is vouloir dire, spelled V-O-U-L-O-I-R- -D-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Signifier.
  2. 2
    Donner une information, un ordre ou un avertissement de façon détournée. Faire entendre, faire comprendre quelque chose à quelqu’un.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ?
  2. Que veut dire ce mot ? Quelle est sa signification ?

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 "vouloir dire"?
"vouloir dire" is spelled V-O-U-L-O-I-R- -D-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \vu.lwaʁ diʁ\.
What does "vouloir dire" mean?
As a verb, "vouloir dire" means: Signifier.
How do you pronounce "vouloir dire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vouloir dire" is \vu.lwaʁ diʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "vouloir dire" come from?
"vouloir dire" 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