œuf de Colomb

\œf də kɔ.lɔ̃\

/\œf də kɔ.lɔ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“œuf de Colomb” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Idée simple mais ingénieuse.

Corpus desk

Index FR-uf-de-colomb · œuf de Colomb · French

œuf de Colomb · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "Œ" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for œuf de Colomb
PropertyValue
Headwordœuf de Colomb
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\œf də kɔ.lɔ̃\
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « œuf de Colomb » en français

œuf de Colombn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

œuf de Colomb is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \œf də kɔ.lɔ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Idée simple mais ingénieuse.".

œuf de Colomb has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is œuf de Colomb, spelled Œ-U-F- -D-E- -C-O-L-O-M-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    Idée simple mais ingénieuse.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "œuf de Colomb"?
"œuf de Colomb" is spelled Œ-U-F- -D-E- -C-O-L-O-M-B. The IPA pronunciation is \œf də kɔ.lɔ̃\.
What does "œuf de Colomb" mean?
As a noun, "œuf de Colomb" means: Idée simple mais ingénieuse.
How do you pronounce "œuf de Colomb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "œuf de Colomb" is \œf də kɔ.lɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "œuf de Colomb" come from?
"œuf de Colomb" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list