Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cachette | /ka.ʃɛt/ | feminine |
| planque | /plɑ̃k/ | |
| repaire | /ʁə.pɛʁ/ |
All these terms refer to a place to hide.
Which one should you use?
cachette is the standard, neutral term for a hiding place used by anyone, such as a child playing or someone hiding an object. repaire is typically used to describe the den of an animal or the lair of a group of criminals, implying a place of activity or nesting. tanière refers to an animal den but can be used metaphorically as a hideout for humans.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
planque is an informal or slang term often used in the context of criminals or people evading the police. réduit can imply a hideout. tanière is an informal way to refer to a human hideout by using the word for an animal den.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of the feminine noun cachette is cachettes. The plural of the masculine noun repaire is repaires.
How do you pronounce it?
/ka.ʃɛt/
Did you know?
- While repaire describes a criminal lair, its doublet repère means a landmark or a point of reference.
- The word planque comes from the verb planquer, which was originally used by soldiers to describe hiding their gear or themselves to avoid work.
- In French detective novels, a character might 'faire la planque', which means 'to stake out' a location, turning the noun for a hideout into a verb-based idiom for surveillance.
Examples in context
- Bienvenue dans ma cachette secrète.Welcome to my secret hideout.This sentence uses cachette to welcome someone to a secret hiding place.Tatoeba #12941528 by lbdx, translation #12071090 by CK
- Les flics cherchent la planque du gang.The cops are looking for the gang's hideout.This sentence uses planque to describe a gang's hideout being sought by the police.Tatoeba #12941529 by lbdx, translation #744511 by darinmex
- Il s'est réfugié dans sa cachetteHe took refuge in his hideout
- Nous devons trouver leur repère secretWe must find their secret hideout
- Il se cachait dans un réduit sombreHe was hiding in a dark hideout
- On a trouvé notre tanière secrèteWe found our secret hideout
- Les enfants ont construit une cachette dans le jardin.The children built a hideout in the garden.
- 1 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are playing hide-and-seek in the garden.
- EmmaJe ne te trouve pas, Gabriel !I can't find you, Gabriel!
- GabrielDevine où est ma cachette !Guess where my hideout is!
- EmmaTu es derrière le grand arbre ?Are you behind the big tree?
- GabrielNon, je suis encore caché !No, I'm still hidden!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hideout” translations and entries cachette, planque, repaire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cachette, repaire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
