ou sinon

\u si.nɔ̃\

/\u si.nɔ̃\/ conj

The verdict

“ou sinon” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a conjunction. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sinon ; faute de quoi ; sans quoi.

Corpus desk

Index FR-ou-sinon · ou sinon · French

ou sinon · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for ou sinon
PropertyValue
Headwordou sinon
LanguageFrench
Part of speechConjunction
IPA\u si.nɔ̃\
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « ou sinon » en français

ou sinonn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ou sinon is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aconjunction, transcribed \u si.nɔ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Sinon ; faute de quoi ; sans quoi.".

No misspelling variants are generated for ou sinon in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is ou sinon, spelled O-U- -S-I-N-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sinon ; faute de quoi ; sans quoi.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Le payement est fait d’abord par le divan du coupable […]; — ou sinon, par les à’c’ib; — ou sinon, par les patrons de premier rang; — ou sinon, par les patrons de deuxième rang; — ou sinon, par le beît el-mâl; — ou sinon, par le coupable.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ou sinon"?
"ou sinon" is spelled O-U- -S-I-N-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is \u si.nɔ̃\.
What does "ou sinon" mean?
As a conjunction, "ou sinon" means: Sinon ; faute de quoi ; sans quoi.
How do you pronounce "ou sinon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ou sinon" is \u si.nɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ou sinon" come from?
"ou sinon" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list