œil-de-bœuf

\œj.də.bœf\

/\œj.də.bœf\/ noun

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

The verdict

“œil-de-bœuf” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Baie ronde ou ovale, disposée sur un mur ou, souvent, sur comble et constituant une lucarne ou une fenêtre d’attique.

Key facts for œil-de-bœuf
PropertyValue
Headwordœil-de-bœuf
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\œj.də.bœf\
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “œil-de-bœuf” sits in French frequency

œil-de-bœuf falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

œil-de-bœuf is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \œj.də.bœf\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for œil-de-bœuf, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is œil-de-bœuf, spelled Œ-I-L---D-E---B-Œ-U-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Baie ronde ou ovale, disposée sur un mur ou, souvent, sur comble et constituant une lucarne ou une fenêtre d’attique.
  2. 2
    Horloge ou pendule ancienne, généralement du XIXe siècle, à cadran en forme d’œil-de-bœuf.
  3. 3
    Surnom donné aux premiers timbres-poste du Brésil, en raison de leur motif.
  4. 4
    Nom vernaculaire ambigu donné à plusieurs espèces de plantes vasculaires, et en particulier à certaines astéracées (e.g. l'anthémis des teinturiers (Cota tinctoria), le buphthalme à feuilles de saule (Buphthalmum salicifolium), la marguerite commune (Leucanthemum vulgare), aux graines et à la plante nommée Mucuna sloanei de la famille des Fabacées. etc.).

Synonyms

oculus

This word in other languages

œil-de-bœuf(English)Œil-de-Bœuf(Deutsch)

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 "œil-de-bœuf"?
"œil-de-bœuf" is spelled Œ-I-L---D-E---B-Œ-U-F. The IPA pronunciation is \œj.də.bœf\.
What does "œil-de-bœuf" mean?
As a noun, "œil-de-bœuf" means: Baie ronde ou ovale, disposée sur un mur ou, souvent, sur comble et constituant une lucarne ou une fenêtre d’attique.
How do you pronounce "œil-de-bœuf"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "œil-de-bœuf" is \œj.də.bœf\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "œil-de-bœuf" come from?
"œil-de-bœuf" 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 “œil-de-bœuf”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is Œ-I-L---D-E---B-Œ-U-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \œj.də.bœf\ (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