ogive

\ɔ.ʒiv\

/\ɔ.ʒiv\/ noun

The verdict

“ogive” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #34,222 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#34,222
frequency rank, French
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Chacun des arcs qui, en se croisant en X, soutiennent la voûte dans l’architecture gothique.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ogive vs oie
60% similar
ogive vs Oise
40% similar
ogive vs ouïe
40% similar

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

Key facts for ogive
PropertyValue
Headwordogive
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔ.ʒiv\
Letters5
Frequency rank#34,222
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ogive” 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). ogive 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 ogive is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɔ.ʒiv\. Corpus data places it at rank #34,222 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 ogive, with forms such as "goive", "oggive", and "ogiev". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "oie", "Oise", "ouïe", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, 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 ogive, spelled O-G-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Chacun des arcs qui, en se croisant en X, soutiennent la voûte dans l’architecture gothique.
  2. 2
    Chacun des arcs qui, en se croisant en X, soutiennent la voûte dans l’architecture gothique.
  3. 3
    Partie supérieure d’un obus.
  4. 4
    Balle de même forme, par opposition aux balles sphériques, utilisée par les chasseurs et les militaires.
  5. 5
    Partie antérieure d'une fusée spatiale.
  6. 6
    Courbe représentant la répartition cumulée des mesures des individus mesurés.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: goive,oggive,ogiev,ogivve,ogvie,oigve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ogive - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

goive2oggive1ogiev2ogivve1ogvie2oigve2
Edit distance from "ogive"

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 "ogive"?
"ogive" is spelled O-G-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔ.ʒiv\.
What does "ogive" mean?
As a noun, "ogive" means: Chacun des arcs qui, en se croisant en X, soutiennent la voûte dans l’architecture gothique.
What words are commonly confused with "ogive"?
"ogive" is commonly confused with "oie", "Oise", "ouïe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ogive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ogive" is \ɔ.ʒiv\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ogive" come from?
"ogive" 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 “ogive”

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

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