ounce

/aʊns/

//aʊns// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"ounce" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ounce” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,642. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,642
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An avoirdupois ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₆ of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.349523125 grams.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ounce · ounce · English

ounce · rank #9,642 · 6 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,642
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Pablo

Nearest frequency peer: Pablo (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ounce”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ounce” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ounce vs ounces
83% similar
ounce vs oz
20% similar
ounce vs one
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ounce
PropertyValue
Headwordounce
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/aʊns/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,642
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ounce”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ouncelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Pablo” (#9,643), “peel” (#9,644), “ops” (#9,639). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “ounce” is #9,642. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around ounce (IPA /aʊns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,642 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for ounce, with forms such as "onuce", "oucne", and "ouncce". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "ounces", "oz", "one", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ounce, unce, from Middle French once, from Latin uncia (“Roman ounce, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of a, one, inch, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah. The correct English form is ounce, spelled O-U-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An avoirdupois ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₆ of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.349523125 grams.
  2. 2
    A troy ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₂ of a troy pound, or 480 grains, or 31.1034768 grams.
  3. 3
    A US fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₁₆ of a US pint, 1.804688 cubic inches or 29.5735295625 millilitres.
  4. 4
    A British imperial fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₂₀ of an imperial pint, 1.733871 cubic inches or 28.4130625 millilitres.
  5. 5
    Any small amount, a little bit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how ounce appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He didn't feel even an ounce of regret for his actions.

Etymology

From Middle English ounce, unce, from Middle French once, from Latin uncia (“Roman ounce, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of a, one, inch, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah.

Synonyms

oz.℥unciaoz.fl. oz.modicum

This word in other languages

onza(Español)once(Français)Unze(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • onuce
  • oucne
  • ouncce
  • ounec
  • ounnce
  • uonce

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ounce - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

onuce2oucne2ouncce1ounec2ounnce1uonce2
Edit distance from "ounce"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ounce"?
"ounce" is spelled O-U-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /aʊns/.
What does "ounce" mean?
As a noun, "ounce" means: An avoirdupois ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₆ of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.349523125 grams.
What words are commonly confused with "ounce"?
"ounce" is commonly confused with "ounces", "oz", "one". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ounce"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ounce" is /aʊns/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "ounce"?
From Middle English ounce, unce, from Middle French once, from Latin uncia (“Roman ounce, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of a, one, inch, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ounce", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Pablo#9,643horns#9,617hairy#9,615seize#9,669

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

pins6 variantsMaggie6 variantsLyon6 variantsribs6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list