Which to use
“onze” is an adjective and “ouïe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,783
- “onze” frequency rank
- #20,804
- “ouïe” frequency rank
- 24587
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | onze | ouïe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dix plus un, adjectif numéral cardinal correspondant au nombre 11. | Sens par lequel on perçoit les sons, les autres sens sont la vue, l’odorat, le goût, le toucher ou encore la douleur. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set onze and ouïe apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
onze and ouïe form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24587, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
onze is recorded at frequency rank #3,783, classified as anadj, pronounced ^((h aspiré))\ɔ̃z\. ouïe is at rank #20,804, tagged as anoun, pronounced \wi\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 24587, this pair ranks #345,765 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "onze" and "ouïe" be used interchangeably?
Remembering onze vs ouïe
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “onze”; for a noun, it's “ouïe”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “onze” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable