onde

\ɔ̃d\

/\ɔ̃d\/ noun

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

The verdict

“onde” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #6,324 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,324
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ondulations d’un milieu élastique ou d’un flux électromagnétique. Perturbation d’un milieu qui se propage.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

onde vs ont
50% similar
onde vs one
75% similar
onde vs ose
50% similar

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

Key facts for onde
PropertyValue
Headwordonde
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔ̃d\
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,324
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “onde” 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). onde 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 onde is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɔ̃d\. Corpus data places it at rank #6,324 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 onde, with forms such as "node", "odne", and "ondde". 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, "ont", "one", "ose", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct French form is onde, spelled O-N-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ondulations d’un milieu élastique ou d’un flux électromagnétique. Perturbation d’un milieu qui se propage.
  2. 2
    Émission radiophonique ou télévisuelle.
  3. 3
    L’eau, en général.
  4. 4
    La mer.
  5. 5
    Ce qui présente une surface ridée, alternativement concave et convexe, ce qui a des variations alternatives de teintes qui ressemblent aux ondes de la mer.
  6. 6
    Meuble représentant un élément liquide dans les armoiries. Ce terme est générique. Elle est généralement représentée par une figure en longueur (fasce, bande…) dont le périmètre forme des ondulations. Elle peut également faire référence à un meuble occupant la place de la champagne (mouvante de la pointe). Tout élément adoptant la même apparence, sera dit ondé. À rapprocher de mer et rivière.

This word in other languages

wave(English)onda(Español)Welle(Deutsch)onda(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: node,odne,ondde,oned,onnde

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

node2odne2ondde1oned2onnde1
Edit distance from "onde"

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 "onde"?
"onde" is spelled O-N-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔ̃d\.
What does "onde" mean?
As a noun, "onde" means: Ondulations d’un milieu élastique ou d’un flux électromagnétique. Perturbation d’un milieu qui se propage.
What words are commonly confused with "onde"?
"onde" is commonly confused with "ont", "one", "ose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "onde"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "onde" is \ɔ̃d\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "onde" come from?
"onde" 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 “onde”

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

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