poire

\pwaʁ\

/\pwaʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“poire” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #15,720 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,720
frequency rank, French
5
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fruit à pépin, de saveur agréable, ordinairement de forme oblongue, et qui va en diminuant vers la queue.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

poire vs pré
40% similar
poire vs por
60% similar
poire vs pour
60% similar

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

Key facts for poire
PropertyValue
Headwordpoire
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pwaʁ\
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,720
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poire” 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). poire 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 poire is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pwaʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #15,720 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 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 poire, with forms such as "opire", "piore", and "poier". 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, "pré", "por", "pour", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is poire, spelled P-O-I-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fruit à pépin, de saveur agréable, ordinairement de forme oblongue, et qui va en diminuant vers la queue.
  2. 2
    Alcool, liqueur de poire.
  3. 3
    Petite pièce de viande de bœuf, très tendre, de même forme que le fruit.
  4. 4
    Tête ; visage.
  5. 5
    Contrepoids de la balance romaine, parce qu’il a la forme d’une poire.
  6. 6
    Petit ballon en caoutchouc pour aspirer/propulser du liquide ou du gaz dans un récipient.
  7. 7
    Capteur de niveau flottant en forme de poire.
  8. 8
    Personne naïve, dupe, facile à tromper, pas très futée.
  9. 9
    Interrupteur électrique piriforme placé au bout d'un fil suspendu habituellement à la tête d’un lit et servant pour éteindre et allumer un plafonnier. Ce type d'interrupteur était aussi utilisé pour actionner une sonnette retentissant à l'office pour appeler un domestique. Version moderne du cordon. Il est aussi utilisé dans les chambres d’hôpitaux pour appeler un infirmier.
  10. 10
    Interrupteur électrique piriforme placé au milieu du fil d'alimentation électrique d'une lampe.
  11. 11
    Nom donné par analogie de forme à de grands sacs piriformes, remplis de billes de polystyrène expansé, sur lesquels on peut s'asseoir.
  12. 12
    Surnom donné à Louis-Philippe Ier du fait de la forme de son visage.

Synonyms

visage

This word in other languages

pear(English)pera(Español)Birne(Deutsch)pêra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opire,piore,poier,poirre,ppoire

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opire2piore2poier2poirre1ppoire1
Edit distance from "poire"

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 "poire"?
"poire" is spelled P-O-I-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is \pwaʁ\.
What does "poire" mean?
As a noun, "poire" means: Fruit à pépin, de saveur agréable, ordinairement de forme oblongue, et qui va en diminuant vers la queue.
What words are commonly confused with "poire"?
"poire" is commonly confused with "pré", "por", "pour". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poire"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poire" is \pwaʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "poire" come from?
"poire" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “poire”

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

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