bouc

\buk\

/\buk\/ noun

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

The verdict

“bouc” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #13,119 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#13,119
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Animal à cornes, qui est le mâle de la chèvre. Avec leurs petits (les chevreaux ou cabris) ils forment les capridés.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bouc vs bu
50% similar
bouc vs but
50% similar
bouc vs bus
50% similar

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

Key facts for bouc
PropertyValue
Headwordbouc
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\buk\
Letters4
Frequency rank#13,119
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bouc” 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). bouc 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 bouc is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \buk\. Corpus data places it at rank #13,119 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for bouc, with forms such as "bbouc", "bocu", and "boucc". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "bu", "but", "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, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is bouc, spelled B-O-U-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Animal à cornes, qui est le mâle de la chèvre. Avec leurs petits (les chevreaux ou cabris) ils forment les capridés.
  2. 2
    Son cuir, sa peau.
  3. 3
    Son cuir, sa peau.
  4. 4
    Poulie garnie d’une corne de fer pour faire monter une chaîne.
  5. 5
    Barbe d’un homme lorsqu’il n’en a que sous le menton.
  6. 6
    Homme repoussant par son odeur ou sa lubricité rappelant celle de l’animal.
  7. 7
    Meuble représentant l’animal du même nom dans les armoiries. Il est généralement représenté rampant ou passant. À rapprocher de bouquetin, chamois, chèvre et mouflon.
  8. 8
    Coin d'acier destiné à fendre les ardoises, c'est l'opération de boucage.

Synonyms

bouquinbarbichesatyre

This word in other languages

billy goat(English)cabrón(Español)Bock(Deutsch)bode(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbouc,bocu,boucc,buoc,obuc

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbouc1bocu2boucc1buoc2obuc2
Edit distance from "bouc"

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 "bouc"?
"bouc" is spelled B-O-U-C. The IPA pronunciation is \buk\.
What does "bouc" mean?
As a noun, "bouc" means: Animal à cornes, qui est le mâle de la chèvre. Avec leurs petits (les chevreaux ou cabris) ils forment les capridés.
What words are commonly confused with "bouc"?
"bouc" is commonly confused with "bu", "but", "bus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bouc"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bouc" is \buk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bouc" come from?
"bouc" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “bouc”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-O-U-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \buk\ (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. bouc vs bu
  • 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