mœurs

\mœʁ\

/\mœʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“mœurs” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #10,361 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#10,361
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Habitudes, naturelles ou acquises, relatives à la pratique du bien ou du mal au sens de la morale.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mœurs vs mur
60% similar
mœurs vs mus
60% similar
mœurs vs mars
60% similar

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

Key facts for mœurs
PropertyValue
Headwordmœurs
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mœʁ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,361
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mœurs” 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). mœurs 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 mœurs is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \mœʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #10,361 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for mœurs, with forms such as "mmœurs", "muœrs", and "mœrus". 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, "mur", "mus", "mars", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, 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 mœurs, spelled M-Œ-U-R-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Habitudes, naturelles ou acquises, relatives à la pratique du bien ou du mal au sens de la morale.
  2. 2
    Ces pratiques lorsqu’elles jouissent d’une bonne considération sociale.
  3. 3
    Police des mœurs, brigade des mœurs.
  4. 4
    Manière de vivre, usages, habitudes ou coutumes particulières de chaque nation.
  5. 5
    Habitudes, inclinations, de la manière de vivre des individus.
  6. 6
    Habitudes naturelles des différentes espèces d’animaux ; habitudes qui résultent de leur instinct ; comportement éthologique.
  7. 7
    Ce qui concerne les habitudes morales du pays et du temps dont il est question dans un poème, dans une pièce de théâtre, ce qui est conforme au caractère des personnages qui y sont introduits.

Synonyms

coutumeséthosus

This word in other languages

morals(English)costumbres(Español)Bräuche(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmœurs,muœrs,mœrus,mœurrs,mœurss,mœusr,œmurs

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmœurs1muœrs2mœrus2mœurrs1mœurss1mœusr2œmurs2
Edit distance from "mœurs"

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 "mœurs"?
"mœurs" is spelled M-Œ-U-R-S. The IPA pronunciation is \mœʁ\.
What does "mœurs" mean?
As a noun, "mœurs" means: Habitudes, naturelles ou acquises, relatives à la pratique du bien ou du mal au sens de la morale.
What words are commonly confused with "mœurs"?
"mœurs" is commonly confused with "mur", "mus", "mars". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mœurs"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mœurs" is \mœʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mœurs" come from?
"mœurs" 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 “mœurs”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-Œ-U-R-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \mœʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mur” - see the side-by-side comparison. mœurs vs mur
  • 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