ouzo
/ˈuːzəʊ/
"ouzo" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ouzo” is uncommon English (frequency #99,665 among 15,494 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #99,665
- frequency rank, English
- 15,494
- “O” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An anise-flavoured aperitif, originating in Greece.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ouzo |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈuːzəʊ/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #99,665 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ouzo” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
ouzo is uncommon English at frequency #99,665 among 15,494 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈuːzəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for ouzo in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Greek ούζο (oúzo), either from Turkish üzüm (“grape”) or from the Italian uso in Marsiglia (“for use in Marseille”) stamped on selected silkworm cocoons exported from Tyrnavos in the 19th century, standing for “superior quality”. Other: from the ancien… The correct English form is ouzo, spelled O-U-Z-O.
Definition
- 1An anise-flavoured aperitif, originating in Greece.
- 2A serving of this drink.
Etymology
From Greek ούζο (oúzo), either from Turkish üzüm (“grape”) or from the Italian uso in Marsiglia (“for use in Marseille”) stamped on selected silkworm cocoons exported from Tyrnavos in the 19th century, standing for “superior quality”. Other: from the ancient Greek word ὄζω (ózō, “to smell”) - ὀσμή (osmḗ, “smell”) because of the strong smell of the drink.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “ouzo”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-U-Z-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈuːzəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.