ours

\uʁs\

/\uʁs\/ noun

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

The verdict

“ours” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,358 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,358
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Plantigrade, carnassier ou omnivore, à fourrure épaisse, de la famille des ursidés.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ours vs out
50% similar
ours vs oust
50% similar
ours vs ouvre
60% similar

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

Key facts for ours
PropertyValue
Headwordours
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\uʁs\
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,358
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ours” 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). ours 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 ours is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \uʁs\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,358 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for ours, with forms such as "orus", "ourrs", and "ourss". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "out", "oust", "ouvre", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is ours, spelled O-U-R-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Plantigrade, carnassier ou omnivore, à fourrure épaisse, de la famille des ursidés.
  2. 2
    Homme qui fuit la société, rustre ou rustaud.
  3. 3
    Homme porté à suivre ses bas instincts.
  4. 4
    Prison.
  5. 5
    Meuble représentant l’animal du même nom dans les armoiries. Il n’a pas de position particulière, elle doit donc être blasonnée.
  6. 6
    Ouvrier typographe.
  7. 7
    Ouvrage non imprimé, non publié.
  8. 8
    Manuscrit d’auteur, brouillon, canevas d’un texte inachevé qui demande à être révisé.
  9. 9
    Premier montage d’un film, reportage ou documentaire.
  10. 10
    Dans l’édition, l’imprimerie et la presse, pavé, encadré ou espace qui recense les noms et adresses de l’éditeur et de l’imprimeur, et les fonctions et les noms des collaborateurs ayant participé à la fabrication de l’imprimé.

Synonyms

lokis

This word in other languages

bear(English)oso(Español)Bär(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: orus,ourrs,ourss,ousr,uors

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

orus2ourrs1ourss1ousr2uors2
Edit distance from "ours"

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 "ours"?
"ours" is spelled O-U-R-S. The IPA pronunciation is \uʁs\.
What does "ours" mean?
As a noun, "ours" means: Plantigrade, carnassier ou omnivore, à fourrure épaisse, de la famille des ursidés.
What words are commonly confused with "ours"?
"ours" is commonly confused with "out", "oust", "ouvre". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ours"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ours" is \uʁs\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ours" come from?
"ours" 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 “ours”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is O-U-R-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \uʁs\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “out” - see the side-by-side comparison. ours vs out
  • 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