ouvrir

\u.vʁiʁ\

/\u.vʁiʁ\/ verb

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

The verdict

“ouvrir” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,186 in French word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,186
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Faire que ce qui était clos, fermé, ne le soit plus.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ouvrir vs ouvrira
86% similar
ouvrir vs ouvrirent
67% similar
ouvrir vs ouvre
67% similar

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

Key facts for ouvrir
PropertyValue
Headwordouvrir
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\u.vʁiʁ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,186
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ouvrir” 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). ouvrir 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 ouvrir is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \u.vʁiʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,186 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for ouvrir, with forms such as "ourvir", "ouvirr", and "ouvrirr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "ouvrira", "ouvrirent", "ouvre", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is ouvrir, spelled O-U-V-R-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Faire que ce qui était clos, fermé, ne le soit plus.
  2. 2
    Donner accès — Note d’usage : Il est alors suivi d’un adverbe de lieu.
  3. 3
    Accueillir dans, recevoir dans.
  4. 4
    Écarter ce qui est replié, ce qui est joint ; déployer.
  5. 5
    Entamer, fendre, couper ou percer quelque chose.
  6. 6
    Pratiquer une ouverture, une percée.
  7. 7
    Commencer à creuser, à fouiller.
  8. 8
    ou Rendre une chose accessible, en faciliter l’abord, le passage, l’occupation.
  9. 9
    Commencer ; mettre en route ; débuter.
  10. 10
    Se confier à quelqu’un, lui déclarer ce qu’on pense sur quelque chose.
  11. 11
    Devenir ou être ouvert.
  12. 12
    Avoir son issue ou son débouché.
  13. 13
    Se blesser.
  14. 14
    Éclore, en parlant d'une fleur ou d'un bourgeon.
  15. 15
    Diminuer le couvert et, ce faisant, augmenter la quantité de lumière atteignant le sol et les troncs.

Synonyms

djedjadédja

This word in other languages

open(English)abrir(Español)öffnen(Deutsch)abrir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ourvir,ouvirr,ouvrirr,ouvrri,ouvrrir,ouvvrir,ovurir,uovrir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ouvrir - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ourvir2ouvirr2ouvrirr1ouvrri2ouvrrir1ouvvrir1ovurir2uovrir2
Edit distance from "ouvrir"

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 "ouvrir"?
"ouvrir" is spelled O-U-V-R-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is \u.vʁiʁ\.
What does "ouvrir" mean?
As a verb, "ouvrir" means: Faire que ce qui était clos, fermé, ne le soit plus.
What words are commonly confused with "ouvrir"?
"ouvrir" is commonly confused with "ouvrira", "ouvrirent", "ouvre". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ouvrir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ouvrir" is \u.vʁiʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ouvrir" come from?
"ouvrir" 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 “ouvrir”

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

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