houla

^((h aspiré))\u.la\

/^((h aspiré))\u.la\/ onomatopoeia

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

The verdict

“houla” is an uncommon French word, ranked #53,395 in French word frequency and used as an onomatopoeia.

#53,395
frequency rank, French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Onomatopée représentant le cri de douleur de quelqu’un.

Key facts for houla
PropertyValue
Headwordhoula
LanguageFrench
Part of speechOnomatopoeia
IPA^((h aspiré))\u.la\
Letters5
Frequency rank#53,395
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “houla” 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). houla 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 houla is 5 letters long, classified as an onomatopoeia, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as ^((h aspiré))\u.la\. Corpus data places it at rank #53,395 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Onomatopée représentant le cri de douleur de quelqu’un.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for houla, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is houla, spelled H-O-U-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Onomatopée représentant le cri de douleur de quelqu’un.

Synonyms

ouilleouïe

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 "houla"?
"houla" is spelled H-O-U-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is ^((h aspiré))\u.la\.
What does "houla" mean?
As an onomatopoeia, "houla" means: Onomatopée représentant le cri de douleur de quelqu’un.
How do you pronounce "houla"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "houla" is ^((h aspiré))\u.la\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "houla" come from?
"houla" 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 “houla”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-O-U-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as ^((h aspiré))\u.la\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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