noir

\nwaʁ\

/\nwaʁ\/ adj

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

The verdict

“noir” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #618 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#618
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui absorbe toute la lumière visible qu’il reçoit, donne l’impression d’obscurité ; la plus sombre des couleurs.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

noir vs NR
0% similar
noir vs non
50% similar
noir vs nos
50% similar

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

Key facts for noir
PropertyValue
Headwordnoir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\nwaʁ\
Letters4
Frequency rank#618
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “noir” 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). noir 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 noir is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \nwaʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #618 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for noir, with forms such as "nior", "nnoir", and "noirr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "NR", "non", "nos", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is noir, spelled N-O-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui absorbe toute la lumière visible qu’il reçoit, donne l’impression d’obscurité ; la plus sombre des couleurs.
  2. 2
    Sans lumière, obscur, sombre.
  3. 3
    Qui approchent de cette couleur relativement.
  4. 4
    Bronzé, en parlant de la peau d’une personne.
  5. 5
    Ayant la peau brune jusqu’au noir, en parlant d’une personne.
  6. 6
    Lié à la communauté noire.
  7. 7
    Qui est meurtri.
  8. 8
    Sale, crasseux.
  9. 9
    Triste, morne, mélancolique, irrité, hostile, lugubre ou bien funeste.
  10. 10
    Néfaste, diabolique, en parlant des crimes, des mauvaises actions et des personnes qui les commettent.
  11. 11
    Qui est chargé de menaces, de malheur.
  12. 12
    Complètement ivre d’alcool.
  13. 13
    Qui échappe à la détection, que la science ne peut interpréter.

This word in other languages

black(English)negro(Español)schwarz(Deutsch)preto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: nior,nnoir,noirr,nori,onir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

nior2nnoir1noirr1nori2onir2
Edit distance from "noir"

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 "noir"?
"noir" is spelled N-O-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \nwaʁ\.
What does "noir" mean?
As an adjective, "noir" means: Qui absorbe toute la lumière visible qu’il reçoit, donne l’impression d’obscurité ; la plus sombre des couleurs.
What words are commonly confused with "noir"?
"noir" is commonly confused with "NR", "non", "nos". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "noir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "noir" is \nwaʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "noir" come from?
"noir" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “noir”

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

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