ouï-dire
\wi.diʁ\
The verdict
“ouï-dire” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency French
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ce qu’on n’a ni vu ni entendu soi-même et qu’on ne sait que par le rapport d’une autre personne ou par le bruit public.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ouï-dire |
| Language | French |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | \wi.diʁ\ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ouï-dire” sits in French frequency
Rare enough to double-check
ouï-dire is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \wi.diʁ\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for ouï-dire, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is ouï-dire, spelled O-U-Ï---D-I-R-E.
Definition
- 1Ce qu’on n’a ni vu ni entendu soi-même et qu’on ne sait que par le rapport d’une autre personne ou par le bruit public.
- 2Témoignage de ce qu'un tiers a dit, offert en preuve de la vérité de la chose dite; souvent inadmissible comme preuve à moins de se placer dans l'une des exceptions reconnues à cette règle.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “ouï-dire”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct French spelling is O-U-Ï---D-I-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as \wi.diʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.