ben ouais

\bɛ̃ wɛ\

/\bɛ̃ wɛ\/ intj

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

The verdict

“ben ouais” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an interjection. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Expression de dépit qu’on utilise quand on se retrouve forcé de faire quelque chose.

Key facts for ben ouais
PropertyValue
Headwordben ouais
LanguageFrench
Part of speechInterjection
IPA\bɛ̃ wɛ\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ben ouais” sits in French frequency

ben ouais falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ben ouais is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aninterjection, transcribed \bɛ̃ wɛ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for ben ouais in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is ben ouais, spelled B-E-N- -O-U-A-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expression de dépit qu’on utilise quand on se retrouve forcé de faire quelque chose.
  2. 2
    Se dit en réponse à une proposition tentante ou évidente.
  3. 3
    Expression qu’on utilise pour approuver ou avouer quelque chose.

Synonyms

sûrc’est sûrOK

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ben ouais"?
"ben ouais" is spelled B-E-N- -O-U-A-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is \bɛ̃ wɛ\.
What does "ben ouais" mean?
As an interjection, "ben ouais" means: Expression de dépit qu’on utilise quand on se retrouve forcé de faire quelque chose.
How do you pronounce "ben ouais"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ben ouais" is \bɛ̃ wɛ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ben ouais" come from?
"ben ouais" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “ben ouais”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-E-N- -O-U-A-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bɛ̃ wɛ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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