ouroboros

\u.ʁo.bɔ.ʁos\

/\u.ʁo.bɔ.ʁos\/ noun

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

The verdict

“ouroboros” is uncommon French (frequency #93,058 among 75,470 “O” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#93,058
frequency rank, French
75,470
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Représentation d’un serpent ou d’un dragon qui se mord la queue que l’on retrouve dans de multiples cultures.

Key facts for ouroboros
PropertyValue
Headwordouroboros
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\u.ʁo.bɔ.ʁos\
Letters9
Frequency rank#93,058
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ouroboros” 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). ouroboros lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ouroboros is uncommon French at frequency #93,058 among 75,470 “O” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \u.ʁo.bɔ.ʁos\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

ouroboros has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is ouroboros, spelled O-U-R-O-B-O-R-O-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Représentation d’un serpent ou d’un dragon qui se mord la queue que l’on retrouve dans de multiples cultures.
  2. 2
    Quelque chose qui revient sur lui-même, dont le développement amène à un retour à la situation initiale.
  3. 3
    Meuble représentant l’être du même nom dans les armoiries. Il est généralement représenté la tête tournée à dextre et positionnée vers le chef. Quelques auteurs ont utilisé cette figure comme symbole pour la notion d’éternité et utilisent ce terme pour blasonner.

Synonyms

éternité

This word in other languages

ouroboros(English)Ouroboros(Deutsch)

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 "ouroboros"?
"ouroboros" is spelled O-U-R-O-B-O-R-O-S. The IPA pronunciation is \u.ʁo.bɔ.ʁos\.
What does "ouroboros" mean?
As a noun, "ouroboros" means: Représentation d’un serpent ou d’un dragon qui se mord la queue que l’on retrouve dans de multiples cultures.
How do you pronounce "ouroboros"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ouroboros" is \u.ʁo.bɔ.ʁos\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ouroboros" come from?
"ouroboros" 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 “ouroboros”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is O-U-R-O-B-O-R-O-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \u.ʁo.bɔ.ʁos\ (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

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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