Which to use
“ouvrier” is an adjective and “ouvrière” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,685
- “ouvrier” frequency rank
- #8,280
- “ouvrière” frequency rank
- 13965
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ouvrier | ouvrière |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui travaille, œuvrant. | Celle qui, moyennant salaire, effectue un travail généralement manuel pour un employeur dans les domaines du bâtiment, de l’industrie ou de l’agriculture. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ouvrier and ouvrière apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ouvrier is \u.vʁi.je\ while ouvrière is \u.vʁi.jɛʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13965, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ouvrier is recorded at frequency rank #5,685, classified as anadj, pronounced \u.vʁi.je\. ouvrière is at rank #8,280, tagged as anoun, pronounced \u.vʁi.jɛʁ\.
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 13965, this pair ranks #398,776 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ouvrier vs ouvrière
Shared letters: eioruv. Private to "ouvrier": -. Private to "ouvrière": è.
"ouvrier" · 7 letters · shape VVCCVVC · "ouvrière" · 8 letters · shape VVCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- ouvrier ← ourvier · ouvirer · ouvreir · ouvrierr · ouvrire · ouvrrier · ouvvrier · ovurier
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ouvrier" and "ouvrière" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ouvrier" or "ouvrière"?
Remembering ouvrier vs ouvrière
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ouvrier”; for a noun, it's “ouvrière”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ouvrier” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable