marque substitutive
feminine
The English word 'placeholder' can be translated into French as marque substitutive, substitut or the anglicism placeholder.
Meaning: that which holds, denotes or reserves a place for something to come later (noun)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| marque substitutive | feminine | |
| substitut | /syp.sti.ty/ | masculine |
| placeholder | masculine |
A placeholder refers to that which holds, denotes or reserves a place for something to come later.
Which one should you use?
In technical contexts like software development or web design, French speakers often use the English word placeholder as an anglicism.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The term placeholder is informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
marque substitutive is a feminine noun, while substitut and placeholder are masculine nouns.
Did you know?
- While placeholder is common in tech, French administrative culture uses the term en blanc to describe leaving a space blank to be filled in later, such as a chèque en blanc.
- In French, the word substitut is often used in a medical or nutritional context, such as substitut du repas for a meal replacement, far beyond the technical meaning of a placeholder.
- The word marque in marque substitutive shares an ancient root with the English word 'mark', both stemming from the concept of a sign or a boundary.
Examples in context
- Veuillez remplir les espaces réservés avec vos informations personnelles.Please fill in the placeholders with your personal information.
- J'ai ajouté un truc bidon pour le moment, mais nous le remplirons plus tard.I added a placeholder for now, but we'll fill it in later.
- J'ai utilisé un truc provisoire ici, mais je prévois de le changer très bientôt.I used a placeholder here, but I plan to change it very soon.
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are reviewing a website draft.
- LucasLéa, pourquoi y a-t-il un texte bizarre ici ?Léa, why is there a weird text here?
- LéaC'est une marque substitutive en attendant les photos.It's a placeholder while we wait for the photos.
- LucasJe comprends, je vais le laisser ainsi.I understand, I will leave it as it is.
- LéaParfait, on changera cela demain.Perfect, we will change that tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “placeholder” translations and entries substitut, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries marque, substitut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
