bourgeon

\buʁ.ʒɔ̃\

/\buʁ.ʒɔ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“bourgeon” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #37,697 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#37,697
frequency rank, French
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Œil des arbres et des arbrisseaux, qui va se développant et d’où doivent sortir des branches, des feuilles ou des fleurs.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

bourgeon vs Bourges
63% similar
bourgeon vs Bourgoin
63% similar
bourgeon vs bourgeons
89% similar

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

Key facts for bourgeon
PropertyValue
Headwordbourgeon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\buʁ.ʒɔ̃\
Letters8
Frequency rank#37,697
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bourgeon” 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). bourgeon 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 bourgeon is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \buʁ.ʒɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #37,697 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for bourgeon, with forms such as "bbourgeon", "borugeon", and "bougreon". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Bourges", "Bourgoin", "bourgeons", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is bourgeon, spelled B-O-U-R-G-E-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Œil des arbres et des arbrisseaux, qui va se développant et d’où doivent sortir des branches, des feuilles ou des fleurs.
  2. 2
    Nouveau jet de la vigne, lorsqu’il est déjà en scion.
  3. 3
    Boutons qui viennent au visage, acné.
  4. 4
    Laine très fine en brins.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbourgeon,borugeon,bougreon,bouregon,bourgeno,bourgeonn,bourggeon,bourgoen,bourrgeon,buorgeon,oburgeon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbourgeon1borugeon2bougreon2bouregon2bourgeno2bourgeonn1bourggeon1bourgoen2
Edit distance from "bourgeon"

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 "bourgeon"?
"bourgeon" is spelled B-O-U-R-G-E-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \buʁ.ʒɔ̃\.
What does "bourgeon" mean?
As a noun, "bourgeon" means: Œil des arbres et des arbrisseaux, qui va se développant et d’où doivent sortir des branches, des feuilles ou des fleurs.
What words are commonly confused with "bourgeon"?
"bourgeon" is commonly confused with "Bourges", "Bourgoin", "bourgeons". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "bourgeon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bourgeon" is \buʁ.ʒɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "bourgeon" come from?
"bourgeon" 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 “bourgeon”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is B-O-U-R-G-E-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \buʁ.ʒɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Bourges” - see the side-by-side comparison. bourgeon vs Bourges
  • 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