louve

\luv\

/\luv\/ noun

The verdict

“louve” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #27,509 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#27,509
frequency rank, French
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Loup femelle.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

louve vs lue
60% similar
louve vs lune
60% similar
louve vs love
80% similar

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

Key facts for louve
PropertyValue
Headwordlouve
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\luv\
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,509
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “louve” 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). louve 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 louve is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \luv\. Corpus data places it at rank #27,509 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 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 louve, with forms such as "llouve", "louev", and "louvve". 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, "lue", "lune", "love", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, 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 louve, spelled L-O-U-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Loup femelle.
  2. 2
    Femme portée sur le plaisir sexuel.
  3. 3
    Femme indépendante, au comportement sauvage, éprise de liberté.
  4. 4
    Coin métallique utilisé pour le levage des pierres de taille. Il en existait deux types : le modèle auto-serrant et le modèle clavé. L'une comme l'autre était introduite dans un trou percé au centre de la pierre à soulever.
  5. 5
    Sorte de filet servant pour la pêche, maintenu par des perches ou des cerceaux de bois, apparentée au verveux.
  6. 6
    Meuble représentant l’animal du même nom dans les armoiries.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: llouve,louev,louvve,lovue,luove,oluve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

llouve1louev2louvve1lovue2luove2oluve2
Edit distance from "louve"

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 "louve"?
"louve" is spelled L-O-U-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is \luv\.
What does "louve" mean?
As a noun, "louve" means: Loup femelle.
What words are commonly confused with "louve"?
"louve" is commonly confused with "lue", "lune", "love". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "louve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "louve" is \luv\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "louve" come from?
"louve" 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 “louve”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is L-O-U-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \luv\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “lue” - see the side-by-side comparison. louve vs lue
  • 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