Huitante
The Swiss French word for 80
Updated June 2026
Quick answer
HUITANTE =
80
IPA
/ɥitɑ̃t/
Huitante is the word for 80 in the Swiss cantons of Vaud, Valais, and Fribourg. It replaces the standard French quatre-vingts (“four-twenties”). Geneva and Neuchâtel use quatre-vingts; Belgium also uses quatre-vingts, not huitante. Full regional comparison · Swiss French numbers
What huitante means
Huitante is simply the number 80. Where France and Quebec say quatre-vingts — literally “four-twenties”, a leftover of the old base-20 (vigesimal) counting system — the Swiss cantons of Vaud, Valais, and Fribourg use the regular decimal-style word huitante, built on huit (8). It follows the same pattern as soixante (60) and quarante (40), so it is far easier to learn and count with.
Septante (70) and nonante (90) are universal across all of French-speaking Switzerland, but the form for 80 is the one number that genuinely varies by canton. That is why huitante draws so much curiosity: it is the most distinctively Swiss of the three regional number words.
How to pronounce huitante
Huitante is pronounced /ɥitɑ̃t/ — roughly “wee-TONT”. The opening “hui” is the same glide you hear in huit (8) and aujourd’hui; the “-ante” ending is the nasal vowel shared with soixante and quarante, and the final “e” is silent. Tap play to hear it:
Counting 80 to 89 with huitante
Note the “et” in huitante et un (81). Huitante restores the regular “et un” connector you also see in vingt et un (21) and trente et un (31) — whereas the France form quatre-vingt-un drops it.
| Number | Swiss (Vaud/Valais/Fribourg) | France / Belgium / Geneva |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | huitante | quatre-vingts |
| 81 | huitante et un | quatre-vingt-un |
| 82 | huitante-deux | quatre-vingt-deux |
| 83 | huitante-trois | quatre-vingt-trois |
| 84 | huitante-quatre | quatre-vingt-quatre |
| 85 | huitante-cinq | quatre-vingt-cinq |
| 86 | huitante-six | quatre-vingt-six |
| 87 | huitante-sept | quatre-vingt-sept |
| 88 | huitante-huit | quatre-vingt-huit |
| 89 | huitante-neuf | quatre-vingt-neuf |
Huitante vs octante
You may come across octante in older Swiss texts, dictionaries, or the occasional official form. Octante is a historical variant for 80 that has largely fallen out of everyday speech. The living, spoken form in modern Vaud, Valais, and Fribourg is huitante. If you are learning Swiss French today, learn huitante; treat octante as something you may read but will rarely hear.
Where huitante is used
Says huitante
Vaud (Lausanne), Valais (Sion), Fribourg
Says quatre-vingts
Geneva, Neuchâtel, Jura, plus all of Belgium and France
Note: Belgium uses septante (70) and nonante (90) but keeps quatre-vingts for 80. So huitante is the one regional number word found only in Switzerland, and only in those three cantons. See the Belgian French and Swiss French pages for the full picture, or the 80 to 90 in French reference for every form in the range.
Frequently asked questions
What does huitante mean?
Huitante means 80. It is the Swiss French word for the number 80, used in everyday speech, schools, and official documents in the cantons of Vaud, Valais, and Fribourg. It replaces the standard French quatre-vingts (literally "four-twenties").
Who uses huitante?
Huitante is used in the French-speaking Swiss cantons of Vaud (Lausanne), Valais (Sion), and Fribourg. Other Romandie cantons, Geneva and Neuchâtel, use quatre-vingts like France. Belgium, despite using septante (70) and nonante (90), uses quatre-vingts for 80, not huitante. So huitante is genuinely specific to those three Swiss cantons.
How do you pronounce huitante?
Huitante is pronounced "wee-TONT" in English approximation, with IPA /ɥitɑ̃t/. The opening "hui" is the same glide as in huit (8), and the "-ante" ending rhymes with the "-ante" of soixante and quarante. The final "e" is silent.
Is huitante the same as octante?
They mean the same number (80) but huitante is the living modern form. Octante is an older variant found in historical texts and a handful of official documents, but it has fallen out of everyday use. In modern Vaud, Valais, and Fribourg, people say and write huitante.
How do you count from 80 to 89 with huitante?
Huitante (80), huitante et un (81, with the "et" connector), then huitante-deux, huitante-trois, up to huitante-neuf (89). Unlike the France form quatre-vingt-un (81, with no "et"), huitante restores the regular "et un" pattern seen in vingt et un and trente et un.
Is huitante correct French?
Yes. Huitante is standard Swiss French in the cantons that use it, taught in schools and used by Swiss broadcasters and official bodies. It is not slang or an error. If you are learning French for France or Quebec you will use quatre-vingts, but huitante is fully correct in its region.
By Oliver Wakefield-Smith. Regional forms verified against the converter engine and Swiss French usage references.