oreille

Name: oreille, French Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

\ɔ.ʁɛj\

/\ɔ.ʁɛj\/ noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“oreille” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,210 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,210
frequency rank, French: 7
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Appareil de l’audition divisé en trois parties.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

oreille vs ouille

71% similar

oreille vs oseille

86% similar

oreille vs oreilles

88% similar

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

Key facts for oreille
Property	Value
Headword	oreille
Language	French
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	\ɔ.ʁɛj\
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#3,210
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “oreille” 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). oreille lands here:

#3,210

#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 oreille is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɔ.ʁɛj\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,210 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 18 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for oreille, with forms such as "oerille", "oreile", and "oreilel". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "ouille", "oseille", "oreilles", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, 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 oreille, spelled O-R-E-I-L-L-E.

Definition

1
Appareil de l’audition divisé en trois parties.
2
Organe de l’ouïe, placé de chaque côté de la tête.
3
L’ouïe, le sens qui perçoit les sons.
4
Appréciation de la justesse des sons musicaux, de la régularité de la mesure.
5
Le pavillon, la partie externe qui est autour du trou de l’oreille (sens 2).
6
Cet organe apprêté en cuisine.
7
Attention ; intérêt ; confiance.
8
Personne qui entend ou écoute ce que l’on dit.
9
Ce qui évoque, par sa forme ou par sa position, l’auricule d’un humain ou d’un animal :
10
Ce qui évoque, par sa forme ou par sa position, l’auricule d’un humain ou d’un animal :
11
Ce qui évoque, par sa forme ou par sa position, l’auricule d’un humain ou d’un animal :
12
Ce qui évoque, par sa forme ou par sa position, l’auricule d’un humain ou d’un animal :
13
Ce qui évoque, par sa forme ou par sa position, l’auricule d’un humain ou d’un animal :
14
Ce qui évoque, par sa forme ou par sa position, l’auricule d’un humain ou d’un animal :
15
Ce qui évoque, par sa forme ou par sa position, l’auricule d’un humain ou d’un animal :
16
Écouteur.
17
Élément latéral du dossier d’un fauteuil, destiné à reposer la tête.
18
Partie débordante sur le mur, à gauche et à droite, d’un appui de fenêtre.

Synonyms

bafle bafflecage à mielécoutille esgourde étagèreétagère à crayonétagère à mégotétiquetteéventail à moustiquesfeuille manette oneilleAlfred Jarryportugaise audition ouïe pavillon confiance anse poignée corne pli

This word in other languages

ear(English)oreja(Español)Ohr(Deutsch)orelha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: oerille,oreile,oreilel,orelile,orielle,orreille,roeille

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "oreille"

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 "oreille"?

"oreille" is spelled O-R-E-I-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔ.ʁɛj\.

What does "oreille" mean?

As a noun, "oreille" means: Appareil de l’audition divisé en trois parties.

What words are commonly confused with "oreille"?

"oreille" is commonly confused with "ouille", "oseille", "oreilles". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "oreille"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "oreille" is \ɔ.ʁɛj\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "oreille" come from?

"oreille" 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 “oreille”

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

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