concours

\kɔ̃.kuʁ\

/\kɔ̃.kuʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“concours” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,057 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,057
frequency rank, French
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Action de tendre vers un même but, de coopérer.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

concours vs conçus
63% similar
concours vs conçues
63% similar
concours vs contour
75% similar

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

Key facts for concours
PropertyValue
Headwordconcours
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔ̃.kuʁ\
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,057
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “concours” 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). concours 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 concours is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔ̃.kuʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,057 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for concours, with forms such as "cconcours", "cnocours", and "cocnours". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "conçus", "conçues", "contour", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is concours, spelled C-O-N-C-O-U-R-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Action de tendre vers un même but, de coopérer.
  2. 2
    Réunion ; rencontre ; rassemblement.
  3. 3
    Affluence de monde en quelque endroit.
  4. 4
    Situation d’intersection commune de plusieurs droites.
  5. 5
    Épreuves mettant en compétition des candidats (individus, groupes, entreprises, des cabinets d'architectes pour la réalisation d'un bâtiment, par exemple), pour un nombre de places fixé d'avance, pour obtenir un prix ou pour établir un classement honorifique.
  6. 6
    Épreuve scolaire pour être reçu étudiant dans une école.
  7. 7
    Participation ou contribution à une action ou un projet.

This word in other languages

cooperation(English)concurso(Español)Wettbewerb(Deutsch)concurso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cconcours,cnocours,cocnours,conccours,concorus,concourrs,concourss,concousr,concuors,conncours,conocurs,ocncours

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of concours - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

cconcours1cnocours2cocnours2conccours1concorus2concourrs1concourss1concousr2
Edit distance from "concours"

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 "concours"?
"concours" is spelled C-O-N-C-O-U-R-S. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ̃.kuʁ\.
What does "concours" mean?
As a noun, "concours" means: Action de tendre vers un même but, de coopérer.
What words are commonly confused with "concours"?
"concours" is commonly confused with "conçus", "conçues", "contour". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "concours"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "concours" is \kɔ̃.kuʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "concours" come from?
"concours" 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 “concours”

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

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