French word

dizaine

Pronunciation

IPA/dizɛn/

Meaning

  • feminine nounabout ten

Example

J'ai une dizaine de pages à lire.

I have about ten pages to read.

Illustration for dizaine (about ten)

More examples

J'ai dépensé une dizaine d'euros hier.

I spent about ten euros yesterday.

Core concept

A loose bundle of items gathered around the size of ten.

Common phrases

  • une dizaine de personnes

    about ten people

  • une dizaine de minutes

    about ten minutes

  • une dizaine d'euros

    about ten euros

Similar words

douzaine: A group of roughly twelve items.
vingtaine: A number of around twenty people or things.
trentaine: A number close to thirty.
cinquantaine: A number close to fifty.

Definition in French

Indique une valeur approximative proche de dix, utilisé pour estimer sans précision.

Word origin

French dizaine combines dix with the collective and approximate suffix -aine, while dix descends from Latin decem.

Usage tips

  • The usual pattern is une dizaine de followed by a bare plural noun, as in une dizaine de pages, not une dizaine des pages for a general estimate.

Word lists with this word