hors

^((h aspiré))\ɔʁ\

/^((h aspiré))\ɔʁ\/ prep

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

The verdict

“hors” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #688 in French word frequency and used as a preposition.

#688
frequency rank, French
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Préposition servant à marquer l’exclusion du lieu.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hors vs Hs
25% similar
hors vs hr
50% similar
hors vs hot
50% similar

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

Key facts for hors
PropertyValue
Headwordhors
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPreposition
IPA^((h aspiré))\ɔʁ\
Letters4
Frequency rank#688
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hors” 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). hors 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 hors is 4 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as ^((h aspiré))\ɔʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #688 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for hors, with forms such as "hhors", "horrs", and "horss". 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, "Hs", "hr", "hot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is hors, spelled H-O-R-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Préposition servant à marquer l’exclusion du lieu.
  2. 2
    Excepté.
  3. 3
    Il s’employait devant les verbes à l’infinitif avec la préposition de et devant les autres modes verbaux avec la particule que. On dit aujourd’hui loin de et sauf que.
  4. 4
    Marque toujours l’exclusion de la chose indiquée par le complément.
  5. 5
    Quelquefois préposition de temps et sert à marquer l’exclusion du temps.

This word in other languages

outside(English)fuera(Español)außer(Deutsch)fora(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhors,horrs,horss,hosr,hros,ohrs

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhors1horrs1horss1hosr2hros2ohrs2
Edit distance from "hors"

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 "hors"?
"hors" is spelled H-O-R-S. The IPA pronunciation is ^((h aspiré))\ɔʁ\.
What does "hors" mean?
As a preposition, "hors" means: Préposition servant à marquer l’exclusion du lieu.
What words are commonly confused with "hors"?
"hors" is commonly confused with "Hs", "hr", "hot". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hors"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hors" is ^((h aspiré))\ɔʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hors" come from?
"hors" 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 “hors”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-O-R-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as ^((h aspiré))\ɔʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Hs” - see the side-by-side comparison. hors vs Hs
  • 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