mou

\mu\

/\mu\/ adj

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

The verdict

“mou” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #8,739 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#8,739
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui cède facilement au toucher, qui reçoit facilement l’impression des autres corps.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mou vs MR
0% similar
mou vs my
33% similar
mou vs ms
33% similar

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

Key facts for mou
PropertyValue
Headwordmou
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\mu\
Letters3
Frequency rank#8,739
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mou” 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). mou 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 mou is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \mu\. Corpus data places it at rank #8,739 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for mou in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "MR", "my", "ms", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is mou, spelled M-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui cède facilement au toucher, qui reçoit facilement l’impression des autres corps.
  2. 2
    Qui ne tend pas à reprendre la figure que le choc ou la compression leur a fait perdre, en parlant d'un corps.
  3. 3
    Qualifie les chairs, les organes qui recouvrent le squelette.
  4. 4
    Qualifie un temps, un climat, un air chaud et humide.
  5. 5
    Qui a peu de vigueur.
  6. 6
    Qui est indolent, inactif, qui manque de résolution, d’application.
  7. 7
    Qui est affaibli, énervé par les plaisirs.
  8. 8
    Qui annonce ou qui cause la mollesse.
  9. 9
    Qui indique une faiblesse d’expression, une insuffisance dans le dessin ou dans la couleur.
  10. 10
    Qui subit la mouillure, en parlant des consonnes dans les langues slaves.
  11. 11
    Qui a tendence à arriver, à s'écarter du lit du vent.

Antonyms

durfermedurardent

This word in other languages

soft(English)blando(Español)weich(Deutsch)mole(Português)

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 "mou"?
"mou" is spelled M-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is \mu\.
What does "mou" mean?
As an adjective, "mou" means: Qui cède facilement au toucher, qui reçoit facilement l’impression des autres corps.
What words are commonly confused with "mou"?
"mou" is commonly confused with "MR", "my", "ms". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mou" is \mu\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mou" come from?
"mou" 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 “mou”

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

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