# Ouija

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈwiːd͡ʒə/ · frequency rank #39,945

## Definitions
1. A board, having letters of the alphabet and the words yes and no; used with a planchette during a seance to "communicate" with spirits.
2. The use of such a board to attempt to communicate with spirits.

## Etymology
The popular belief that the word came from French oui (“yes”) + German ja (“yes”) is a misconception. The name is taken from a word spelled out on the board when it was asked to name itself by Helen Peters, sister-in-law of Kennard Company investor Elijah Bond. It is noted in personal letters that Ouija was the name of a woman in a painting above her head at the time, who it is speculated may have in fact been Ouida.

## Easily confused with
- **outta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ouija-vs-outta)
- **oui** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/oui-vs-ouija)

## Common misspellings (5)
`oiuja`, `ouiaj`, `ouijja`, `oujia`, `uoija`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ouija