mots

Mots is the plural form of mot, a masculine French noun meaning "word." The singular form mot refers to a single unit of language that carries meaning, and it is used in everyday speech and writing. In standard usage, des mots means "words."

In linguistic terms, mot denotes the basic lexical unit that can be combined with other units to form phrases and sentences. It is distinguished from broader concepts like parole, which refers to speech as use of language, and langage, which denotes language as a system. In practice, mot is often used to discuss vocabulary, spelling, and word choice.

French has many idiomatic expressions built around mots. Examples include mot d'ordre (a guiding principle or slogan), mot de passe (password), mot pour mot (word for word), and dire quelque chose mot à mot when repeating something exactly as spoken or written. The phrase mettre des mots sur quelque chose means to put one’s thoughts into words or to articulate something clearly.

Spelling, pronunciation, and punctuation influence how mots are used in sentences. The plural des mots adds an -s, but the final s is typically not pronounced in ordinary speech, and liaison rules govern any connection to following words. The term also appears in modern contexts such as computing and publishing; for instance, mot de passe remains a standard French term for a password, while mots croisés and mots fléchés refer to crossword puzzles in different formats.

Overall, mots serves as a stable, widely used unit in French for discussing language, vocabulary, and related expressions.