cœur

\kœʁ\

/\kœʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“cœur” has 5 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #552. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#552
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Organe musculaire, creux et pulsatile assurant la circulation sanguine dans le corps humain ou animal.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cœur vs CR
0% similar
cœur vs car
50% similar
cœur vs cul
50% similar

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

Key facts for cœur
PropertyValue
Headwordcœur
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kœʁ\
Letters4
Frequency rank#552
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cœur” 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). cœur 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 cœur (IPA \kœʁ\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #552 among 257,141 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 26 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for cœur, with forms such as "ccœur", "cuœr", and "cœru". 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, "CR", "car", "cul", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is cœur, spelled C-Œ-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Organe musculaire, creux et pulsatile assurant la circulation sanguine dans le corps humain ou animal.
  2. 2
    Organe considéré comme susceptible de mouvements causés par les passions.
  3. 3
    Être aimant et aimé.
  4. 4
    Partie de la poitrine où les battements du cœur se font sentir.
  5. 5
    Estomac.
  6. 6
    Organe considéré comme le siège de la sensibilité morale, des sentiments et des passions.
  7. 7
    Courage ; fermeté d’âme ; constance.
  8. 8
    Personnage qui possède ces qualités de courage, de vaillance, etc.
  9. 9
    Centre de l’affectivité par opposition à la raison, à l’esprit.
  10. 10
    Pensée intime, dispositions de l’âme.
  11. 11
    Sujet des affections de quelqu’un.
  12. 12
    Ce qui rappelle la forme de l’organe.
  13. 13
    Bigarreau.
  14. 14
    Une des quatre enseignes d’un jeu de cartes français ou germanique, ainsi nommée parce que les cartes de cette couleur sont marquées de cœurs rouges stylisés (♥).
  15. 15
    Milieu de quelque chose, particulièrement d’un état ou d’une ville, centre, parfois symbolique, d’un objet, d’un endroit.
  16. 16
    Zone centrale d’un parc naturel, bénéficiant d’une protection renforcée.
  17. 17
    Centre de l’écu. Voir en cœur.
  18. 18
    Meuble représentant un cœur stylisé (cardioïde) dans les armoiries. À rapprocher de cœur vendéen.
  19. 19
    Partie centrale du corps ligneux des arbres.
  20. 20
    Partie d’un réacteur nucléaire à fission dans laquelle est placé le combustible nucléaire et qui est agencée de manière à permettre une réaction de fission en chaîne.
  21. 21
    Quantité de combustible nucléaire située dans cette partie du réacteur.
  22. 22
    Cœur de processeur.
  23. 23
    Partie d’un aiguillage où se croisent deux rails.
  24. 24
    Dispositif en forme de cœur, inventé en 1862 par le Suisse Adolphe Nicole et permettant aux chronographes de remettre rapidement l’aiguille à zéro d’une seule pression.
  25. 25
    Jeu de cartes dans lequel les cartes se jouent par couleur. La dame de pique permet de briser le cœur, et cette couleur peut alors être jouée.
  26. 26
    Plante, paume.

Synonyms

guguspalpitantpatategénérositécentreseinabîmepointe-de-cœur

This word in other languages

heart(English)corazón(Español)Herz(Deutsch)coração(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccœur
  • cuœr
  • cœru
  • cœurr
  • œcur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccœur1cuœr2cœru2cœurr1œcur2
Edit distance from "cœur"

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 "cœur"?
"cœur" is spelled C-Œ-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is \kœʁ\.
What does "cœur" mean?
As a noun, "cœur" means: Organe musculaire, creux et pulsatile assurant la circulation sanguine dans le corps humain ou animal.
What words are commonly confused with "cœur"?
"cœur" is commonly confused with "CR", "car", "cul". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cœur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cœur" is \kœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cœur" come from?
"cœur" 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 “cœur”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-Œ-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kœʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “CR” - see the side-by-side comparison. cœur vs CR
  • 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