bois

\bwɑ\

/\bwɑ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“bois” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #576 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#576
frequency rank, French
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Substance dure et fibreuse des arbres.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bois vs BS
0% similar
bois vs bon
50% similar
bois vs bus
50% similar

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

Key facts for bois
PropertyValue
Headwordbois
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\bwɑ\
Letters4
Frequency rank#576
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bois” 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). bois lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for bois is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \bwɑ\. Corpus data places it at rank #576 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for bois, with forms such as "bbois", "boiss", and "bosi". 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, "BS", "bon", "bus", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is bois, spelled B-O-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Substance dure et fibreuse des arbres.
  2. 2
    Objet construit dans cette matière.
  3. 3
    Ensemble d’arbres assez proches, délimité par une lisière.
  4. 4
    Famille d’instruments à vent de matières très variées (bois, métal, plastique, terre cuite, os, ivoire, cristal, etc.) et dont le son n'est pas produit par la vibration des lèvres de l'instrumentiste, et comprenant : Les flûtes (vibration de l’air sur un biseau) Les hautbois (vibration d’une anche double) Les clarinettes (vibration d'une anche simple)
  5. 5
    Une section d'orchestre ou un groupe de musiciens qui jouent les instruments de ce type.
  6. 6
    Organe osseux des cervidés qui pousse sur leurs têtes.
  7. 7
    Menues branches, des rejetons que les arbres poussent chaque année.
  8. 8
    Gravure sur bois.
  9. 9
    Club de golf à tête arrondie, utilisé pour frapper la balle à grande distance.
  10. 10
    La forêt en général.
  11. 11
    Coque.

Synonyms

xylème secondairexylographie

This word in other languages

wood(English)madera(Español)Holz(Deutsch)madeira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbois,boiss,bosi,obis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of bois - 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.

bbois1boiss1bosi2obis2
Edit distance from "bois"

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 "bois"?
"bois" is spelled B-O-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is \bwɑ\.
What does "bois" mean?
As a noun, "bois" means: Substance dure et fibreuse des arbres.
What words are commonly confused with "bois"?
"bois" is commonly confused with "BS", "bon", "bus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bois"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bois" is \bwɑ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bois" come from?
"bois" 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 “bois”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-O-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \bwɑ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “BS” - see the side-by-side comparison. bois vs BS
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list