ordonnance

\ɔʁ.dɔ.nɑ̃s\

/\ɔʁ.dɔ.nɑ̃s\/ noun

The verdict

“ordonnance” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,593 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,593
frequency rank, French
10
letters
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Disposition des choses selon l’ordre, la convenance.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ordonnance vs ordonnant
80% similar

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

Key facts for ordonnance
PropertyValue
Headwordordonnance
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔʁ.dɔ.nɑ̃s\
Letters10
Frequency rank#4,593
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ordonnance” 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). ordonnance 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 ordonnance is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɔʁ.dɔ.nɑ̃s\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,593 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for ordonnance, with forms such as "odronnance", "orddonnance", and "ordnonance". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "ordonnant", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, 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 ordonnance, spelled O-R-D-O-N-N-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Disposition des choses selon l’ordre, la convenance.
  2. 2
    Prescription, règlement fait par une ou plusieurs personnes qui ont droit et pouvoir de le faire.
  3. 3
    Décision judiciaire qui soit tend à mettre fin précocement à la procédure, soit règle une question de procédure, soit présente un caractère urgent et provisoire.
  4. 4
    Règlement et acte qui était fait par le roi pour l’exécution des lois ou pour des objets d’administration qui ne doivent pas être la matière d’une loi.
  5. 5
    Acte législatif pris par le gouvernement, sous habilitation du Parlement et ratifié par ce dernier.
  6. 6
    Acte législatif pris par le gouvernement, sous habilitation du Parlement et ratifié par ce dernier.
  7. 7
    Acte législatif voté par le Parlement de la région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
  8. 8
    Avis donné de payer une certaine somme, mandat de paiement.
  9. 9
    Chose conforme à ce qui est prescrit.
  10. 10
    Prescription d’un médecin, soit pour le régime à suivre, soit pour les remèdes à prendre.
  11. 11
    Écrit par lequel le médecin ordonne quelque chose.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: odronnance,orddonnance,ordnonance,ordonance,ordonannce,ordonnacne,ordonnancce,ordonnanec,ordonnannce,ordonnnace,orodnnance,orrdonnance,rodonnance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

odronnance2orddonnance1ordnonance2ordonance1ordonannce2ordonnacne2ordonnancce1ordonnanec2
Edit distance from "ordonnance"

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 "ordonnance"?
"ordonnance" is spelled O-R-D-O-N-N-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔʁ.dɔ.nɑ̃s\.
What does "ordonnance" mean?
As a noun, "ordonnance" means: Disposition des choses selon l’ordre, la convenance.
What words are commonly confused with "ordonnance"?
"ordonnance" is commonly confused with "ordonnant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ordonnance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ordonnance" is \ɔʁ.dɔ.nɑ̃s\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ordonnance" come from?
"ordonnance" 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 “ordonnance”

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

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