cuir

\kɥiʁ\

/\kɥiʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“cuir” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,847 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,847
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Peau épaisse de certains animaux.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cuir vs cul
50% similar
cuir vs cup
50% similar
cuir vs Cyr
25% similar

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

Key facts for cuir
PropertyValue
Headwordcuir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɥiʁ\
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,847
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cuir” 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). cuir 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 cuir is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɥiʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,847 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. 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 cuir, with forms such as "ccuir", "ciur", and "cuirr". 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, "cul", "cup", "Cyr", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is cuir, spelled C-U-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Peau épaisse de certains animaux.
  2. 2
    Peau des animaux, quand elle est séparée de la chair et corroyée.
  3. 3
    Objet fabriqué dans une telle peau.
  4. 4
    Lanière de cuir tendue que les barbiers et les coiffeurs utilisaient pour parfaire l’affûtage des rasoirs (coupe-choux), pour éliminer le morfil. On le nomme aussi "cuir à repasser".
  5. 5
    Ballon de cuir.
  6. 6
    Peau de l’homme.
  7. 7
    Procédé de langage qui consiste à lier les mots entre eux avec un \t\ qui ne fait partie d’aucun mot. Lorsqu’il s’agit d’un \z\ on parle de velours.
  8. 8
    Friandise constituée d’une purée ou d’une compote de fruit séchée.

This word in other languages

hide(English)cuero(Español)Leder(Deutsch)couro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccuir,ciur,cuirr,curi,ucir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccuir1ciur2cuirr1curi2ucir2
Edit distance from "cuir"

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 "cuir"?
"cuir" is spelled C-U-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \kɥiʁ\.
What does "cuir" mean?
As a noun, "cuir" means: Peau épaisse de certains animaux.
What words are commonly confused with "cuir"?
"cuir" is commonly confused with "cul", "cup", "Cyr". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cuir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cuir" is \kɥiʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cuir" come from?
"cuir" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “cuir”

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

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