pour

\puʁ\

/\puʁ\/ prep

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

The verdict

“pour” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #19 in French word frequency and used as a preposition.

#19
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Au motif de ; dans le but de ; afin de ; à destination de.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

pour vs pu
50% similar
pour vs Pr
25% similar
pour vs pub
50% similar

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

Key facts for pour
PropertyValue
Headwordpour
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPreposition
IPA\puʁ\
Letters4
Frequency rank#19
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pour” 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). pour 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 pour is 4 letters long, classified as a preposition, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \puʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #19 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 22 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 pour, with forms such as "opur", "poru", and "pourr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pu", "Pr", "pub", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

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 pour, spelled P-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Au motif de ; dans le but de ; afin de ; à destination de.
  2. 2
    À cause de, en considération de.
  3. 3
    En faveur de, en vue de la défense de.
  4. 4
    Envers, à l’égard de.
  5. 5
    Il sert aussi à marquer le rapport entre une chose qui affecte en bien ou en mal et la personne qui en est ou qui en doit être affectée.
  6. 6
    Eu égard à, par rapport à.
  7. 7
    Précédé des mots assez et trop, il s’emploie dans les phrases qui expriment la suffisance ou l’excès.
  8. 8
    Pour que, afin de, à l’effet de, en vue de, dans le dessein de. - Note d’usage : Il est alors suivi d’un verbe à l’infinitif.
  9. 9
    Moyennant un certain prix, en échange de.
  10. 10
    À proportion de.
  11. 11
    À la place de, au lieu de, au nom de.
  12. 12
    Comme, en qualité de, en guise de.
  13. 13
    Précédé et suivi du même mot, il marque la comparaison :
  14. 14
    Il sert encore à mettre en balance, à opposer des contraires ou des valeurs différentes.
  15. 15
    Il sert à indiquer la durée.
  16. 16
    Il sert aussi à indiquer l’époque à laquelle une chose s’est faite ou se fera.
  17. 17
    À destination de.
  18. 18
    Quant à.
  19. 19
    Quoique, bien que.
  20. 20
    De quoi.
  21. 21
    Parce que.
  22. 22
    Et ensuite. Coordonne deux évènements, surtout si le second est surprenant ou inattendu. Il est alors suivi de l'infinitif.

Synonyms

à seule fin de

This word in other languages

for(English)para(Español)für(Deutsch)para(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: opur,poru,pourr,ppour,puor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opur2poru2pourr1ppour1puor2
Edit distance from "pour"

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 "pour"?
"pour" is spelled P-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is \puʁ\.
What does "pour" mean?
As a preposition, "pour" means: Au motif de ; dans le but de ; afin de ; à destination de.
What words are commonly confused with "pour"?
"pour" is commonly confused with "pu", "Pr", "pub". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pour" is \puʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pour" come from?
"pour" 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 “pour”

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

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