et/ou

\e.u\

/\e.u\/ conj

The verdict

“et/ou” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a conjunction. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Ou inclusif. A et/ou B est soit A et B, soit seulement A ou seulement B.

Corpus desk

Index FR-et-ou · et/ou · French

et/ou · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for et/ou
PropertyValue
Headwordet/ou
LanguageFrench
Part of speechConjunction
IPA\e.u\
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « et/ou » en français

et/oureste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

et/ou is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aconjunction, transcribed \e.u\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Ou inclusif. A et/ou B est soit A et B, soit seulement A ou seulement B.".

et/ou has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is et/ou, spelled E-T-/-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ou inclusif. A et/ou B est soit A et B, soit seulement A ou seulement B.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how et/ou appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Dans les rares crises aigües pouvant survenir à l’occasion d’une pratique sportive intensive telle qu’un stage de préparation et/ou un tournoi […]
  2. Les chefs d’entreprises restent responsables de leur gestion. Ils doivent appliquer la loi, prioriser la protection de leurs salariés, et « en même temps » assurer la pérennité de leur activité, et/ou assurer les conditions d’une reprise rapide.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "et/ou"?
"et/ou" is spelled E-T-/-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is \e.u\.
What does "et/ou" mean?
As a conjunction, "et/ou" means: Ou inclusif. A et/ou B est soit A et B, soit seulement A ou seulement B.
How do you pronounce "et/ou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "et/ou" is \e.u\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "et/ou" come from?
"et/ou" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list