mouton

\mu.tɔ̃\

/\mu.tɔ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“mouton” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #7,729 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,729
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Mammifère herbivore de la famille des ovidés, à poils laineux et frisés.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mouton vs moutons
86% similar
mouton vs Moon
50% similar
mouton vs motos
67% similar

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

Key facts for mouton
PropertyValue
Headwordmouton
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mu.tɔ̃\
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,729
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mouton” 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). mouton 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 mouton is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \mu.tɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #7,729 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for mouton, with forms such as "mmouton", "motuon", and "mouotn". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "moutons", "Moon", "motos", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is mouton, spelled M-O-U-T-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mammifère herbivore de la famille des ovidés, à poils laineux et frisés.
  2. 2
    Les béliers, brebis et agneaux, quand ils sont en troupe.
  3. 3
    Bélier châtré qu’on engraisse pour la boucherie.
  4. 4
    Viande de cet animal.
  5. 5
    Peau de cet animal, basane.
  6. 6
    Meuble représentant l’animal du même nom.
  7. 7
    Homme aposté pour gagner la confiance d’un prisonnier, découvrir son secret et le révéler.
  8. 8
    Personne sans autonomie ou originalité, conformiste, qui se contente de suivre un meneur ou un groupe → voir mouton de Panurge.
  9. 9
    Personne dominée et docile, qui se fait dépouiller de ses richesses, qui ne sait pas se défendre.
  10. 10
    Masse de fer ou grosse pièce de bois, qu’on élève et qu’on laisse retomber sur des pieux pour les enfoncer en terre.
  11. 11
    Grosse pièce de bois dans laquelle sont engagées les anses d’une cloche, pour la tenir suspendue.
  12. 12
    Vagues blanchissantes qui s’élèvent sur la mer et sur les grandes rivières, lorsqu’elles commencent à être agitées.
  13. 13
    Flocons de poussière qui s’assemblent sous les meubles.
  14. 14
    Espèce de marteau utilisé pour frapper le métal dans la fabrication des épingles.
  15. 15
    En poterie, pièces collées entre elles et ratées par une cuisson trop forte.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmouton,motuon,mouotn,moutno,moutonn,moutton,muoton,omuton

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmouton1motuon2mouotn2moutno2moutonn1moutton1muoton2omuton2
Edit distance from "mouton"

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 "mouton"?
"mouton" is spelled M-O-U-T-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \mu.tɔ̃\.
What does "mouton" mean?
As a noun, "mouton" means: Mammifère herbivore de la famille des ovidés, à poils laineux et frisés.
What words are commonly confused with "mouton"?
"mouton" is commonly confused with "moutons", "Moon", "motos". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mouton"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mouton" is \mu.tɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mouton" come from?
"mouton" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “mouton”

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

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