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How To Spell Video Games In French

There’s a bit of a debate among French native speakers surrounding the proper spelling of “video games” in our language. Would that be “jeux vidéo” or “jeux vidéos”? The former is definitely the most common, but is it grammatically correct?

The short answer: “jeux vidéo” is the most universally accepted spelling. While some will argue “vidéo” is used as an adjective here and should take a final ‘s’, “vidéo” is considered an invariable adjective in traditional French.

1990’s rectifications of French orthography suggest both forms can be used. However, it is worth noting the use of this reform is far from widespread at the moment. Most people will stick to the classical spelling and consider “jeux vidéos” a mistake. While this plural version is not wrong technically, “jeux vidéo” will be your safest bet from a practical point of view.

Anthony Teixeira

Freelance English to French translator. Specialized in IT, software and video games.

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Anthony Teixeira

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