Tout, Toute, Tous, Toutes: One Word, Four Spellings

Few French words work harder than tout. It means all, every, whole, very, completely — and it changes spelling depending on the job. Four forms, three jobs: here’s the map.

Job 1: adjective — agrees with the noun

Pattern: tout + article + noun. Singular = whole/entire, plural = every/all.

Job 2: pronoun — and a secret pronunciation rule

Standing alone for people or things: Tout va bien (everything), Ils sont tous là (they’re ALL here). Here’s the trick nobody tells you: as an adjective, tous is pronounced [tu] — silent s. As a pronoun, it’s [tus] — the s SOUNDS. « Tous [tu] mes amis sont tous [tus] venus. »

Job 3: adverb — meaning “very, completely”

Before an adjective, tout means totally: Il est tout content. Elle habite tout près. As an adverb it’s normally invariable — with one charming exception: before a feminine adjective starting with a consonant, it agrees anyway: Elle est toute seule.

The expressions you can steal today

• tout à fait — absolutely
• tout de suite — right away
• tout à l’heure — earlier / in a bit (both directions in time!)
• pas du tout — not at all
• malgré tout — despite everything

FAQ

Why is it « tout le monde est » and not « sont »?

Because tout le monde is grammatically singular (“all the world”). Singular verb, always: Tout le monde est là.

How do I know when tous sounds like [tus]?

If you could replace it with “all of them”, the s sounds: ils sont tous [tus] partis. If a noun follows, it’s silent: tous [tu] les jours.

Is « toute seule » a mistake?

No — it’s the adverb’s one agreement quirk before feminine consonant-starting adjectives: elle est toute seule, but elle est tout étonnée (vowel → no agreement).

Full paradigm with audio on the tout chart; the agreement logic behind it lives in adjective placement.

Quick practice