ombre

\ɔ̃bʁ\

/\ɔ̃bʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“ombre” has 7 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #2,488. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,488
frequency rank, French
1,642
“O” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Obscurité relative que cause un corps opaque en interceptant la lumière.

Corpus desk

Index FR-ombre · ombre · French

ombre · rank #2,488 · 7 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,488
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,642
  • PHOTO-FINISH normalement

Nearest frequency peer: normalement (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “ombre”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “ombre” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ombre vs Omer
40% similar
ombre vs orbe
60% similar
ombre vs ordre
60% similar

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

Key facts for ombre
PropertyValue
Headwordombre
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔ̃bʁ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,488
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ombre” 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). ombre lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around ombre (IPA \ɔ̃bʁ\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,488 among 1,642 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 18 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ombre, with forms such as "mobre", "obmre", and "ombbre". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "Omer", "orbe", "ordre", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is ombre, spelled O-M-B-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Obscurité relative que cause un corps opaque en interceptant la lumière.
  2. 2
    Absence de clarté ; obscurité ; nuit.
  3. 3
    Silhouette, contour projeté par la lumière et intercepté par un corps.
  4. 4
    Ce qui dissimule ou empêche de connaître, ce qui est caché, oublié, mystérieux.
  5. 5
    Personne anonyme.
  6. 6
    Fidèle ou inséparable compagnon.
  7. 7
    Être ou chose que l’ombre accompagne normalement mais qui brille par son absence.
  8. 8
    Personne amenée par un invité, convive.
  9. 9
    Vague forme humaine.
  10. 10
    Légère apparence.
  11. 11
    Apparence trompeuse, chimère.
  12. 12
    Âme après qu’elle a quitté le corps ; fantôme ; esprit.
  13. 13
    Personne ou chose personnifiée qui a cessé d’être ou perdu les qualités, les avantages qui faisaient sa force, sa grandeur, son éclat.
  14. 14
    Couleur sombre qu’on emploie dans un tableau pour ombrer et donner du relief aux parties éclairées → voir clair-obscur.
  15. 15
    En psychologie jungienne, parties de soi qui comportent les parts que l'on maintient ou rejette dans l'inconscient pour des motifs moraux ou sociaux.
  16. 16
    Ce qui attriste, inquiète, assombrit le moral, nuit à la sérénité de l’esprit, tristesse, spleen, mélancolie.
  17. 17
    Expression de tristesse, d’inquiétude.
  18. 18
    Voir ombre de.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ombre appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. La chimère d’un tableau sans ombre, tant poursuivie par les Chinois, était réalisée. Tout était rayon et clarté ; la teinte la plus foncée ne dépassait pas le gris de perle.
  2. Puis, ayant longé un champ d’avoine, étoilé de bleuets et de coquelicots, nous arrivâmes en un verger où des vaches, à la robe bringelée, dormaient couchées à l’ombre des pommiers.

This word in other languages

shade(English)sombra(Español)Schatten(Deutsch)sombra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mobre
  • obmre
  • ombbre
  • omber
  • ombrre
  • ommbre
  • omrbe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ombre - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

mobre2obmre2ombbre1omber2ombrre1ommbre1omrbe2
Edit distance from "ombre"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ombre"?
"ombre" is spelled O-M-B-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔ̃bʁ\.
What does "ombre" mean?
As a noun, "ombre" means: Obscurité relative que cause un corps opaque en interceptant la lumière.
What words are commonly confused with "ombre"?
"ombre" is commonly confused with "Omer", "orbe", "ordre". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ombre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ombre" is \ɔ̃bʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ombre" come from?
"ombre" 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.

Similar French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ombre", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mises#2,485servi#2,494grève#2,479étage#2,499

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

frappe7 variantsdoigt7 variantscible7 variantsdevra7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "ombre". Here's where to go from here.

  • "ombre" maps to 12 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Omer". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,488 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "O" letter cohort. O–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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