bœuf

\bœf\

/\bœf\/ noun

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

The verdict

“bœuf” has 5 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #9,441. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,441
frequency rank, French
227,490
“B” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Taureau castré.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bœuf vs bu
50% similar
bœuf vs BF
0% similar
bœuf vs but
50% similar

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

Key facts for bœuf
PropertyValue
Headwordbœuf
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bœf\
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,441
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bœuf” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). bœuf lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around bœuf (IPA \bœf\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,441 among 227,490 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 16 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for bœuf, with forms such as "bbœuf", "buœf", and "bœfu". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bu", "BF", "but", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is bœuf, spelled B-Œ-U-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Taureau castré.
  2. 2
    Animal de l'espèce domestiquée Bos taurus.
  3. 3
    Animal du genre Bos, comprenant l'espèce domestiquée Bos taurus, le zébu et l'espèce éteinte auroch.
  4. 4
    Viande de bœuf, de vache ou génisse destinée à l’alimentation humaine.
  5. 5
    Taureau.
  6. 6
    Séance musicale improvisée à laquelle peuvent se joindre différents musiciens, descarga, jam.
  7. 7
    Roi d’un jeu de cartes ^([1]).
  8. 8
    Second ouvrier cordonnier, ouvrier tailleur qui fait les grosses pièces ^([1]).
  9. 9
    Petit bœuf : Ouvrier qui commence une pièce, qui l’ébauche ^([1]).
  10. 10
    Dans le jargon des typographes, mauvaise humeur, emportement, colère. Synonyme de chèvre ^([1]).
  11. 11
    Agent de police. Note d’usage : Surtout au pluriel ; le singulier se prononce \bø\ aussi.
  12. 12
    Homme très corpulent.
  13. 13
    Homme stupide, sans finesse.
  14. 14
    (\bø\) Véhicule lent, sans reprises.
  15. 15
    Jeu de cartes.
  16. 16
    Meuble représentant l’animal du même nom dans les armoiries. Il est généralement présenté passant avec la queue pendante ou entre les pattes contrairement au taureau qui a la queue au-dessus du dos. À rapprocher de bison, buffle, taureau et vache.

Synonyms

bovinbovinéflicpoulet

This word in other languages

ox(English)buey(Español)Ochse(Deutsch)boi(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbœuf
  • buœf
  • bœfu
  • bœuff
  • œbuf

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bœuf - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

bbœuf1buœf2bœfu2bœuff1œbuf2
Edit distance from "bœuf"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bœuf"?
"bœuf" is spelled B-Œ-U-F. The IPA pronunciation is \bœf\.
What does "bœuf" mean?
As a noun, "bœuf" means: Taureau castré.
What words are commonly confused with "bœuf"?
"bœuf" is commonly confused with "bu", "BF", "but". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bœuf"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bœuf" is \bœf\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bœuf" come from?
"bœuf" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “bœuf”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is B-Œ-U-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bœf\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “bu” - see the side-by-side comparison. bœuf vs bu
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list