urne

\yʁn\

/\yʁn\/ noun

The verdict

“urne” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #16,765 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,765
frequency rank, French
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Vase de forme et de capacité variables qui, chez les anciens, servait à divers usages.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

urne vs usé
25% similar
urne vs urs
50% similar
urne vs œuvre
40% similar

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

Key facts for urne
PropertyValue
Headwordurne
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\yʁn\
Letters4
Frequency rank#16,765
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “urne” 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). urne 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 urne is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \yʁn\. Corpus data places it at rank #16,765 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for urne, with forms such as "unre", "uren", and "urnne". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "usé", "urs", "œuvre", 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, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is urne, spelled U-R-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Vase de forme et de capacité variables qui, chez les anciens, servait à divers usages.
  2. 2
    Vases de porcelaine, de faïence ou d’autre matière, qui ont la forme des urnes antiques.
  3. 3
    Contenant destiné à recevoir des bulletins de vote. → voir urne électorale.
  4. 4
    Chez les mousses, organe contenant les spores et qui forme avec le filament qui le soutient le sporophyte. → voir capsule.
  5. 5
    Chez certaines plantes carnivores, feuille spécialisée formant une cavité destinée à piéger des insectes.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: unre,uren,urnne,urrne

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of urne - 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.

unre2uren2urnne1urrne1
Edit distance from "urne"

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 "urne"?
"urne" is spelled U-R-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is \yʁn\.
What does "urne" mean?
As a noun, "urne" means: Vase de forme et de capacité variables qui, chez les anciens, servait à divers usages.
What words are commonly confused with "urne"?
"urne" is commonly confused with "usé", "urs", "œuvre". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "urne"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "urne" is \yʁn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "urne" come from?
"urne" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “urne”

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

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