onze
/ɔ̃z/
onze is the French word for the number eleven.
onze is used to represent the number that comes after ten and before twelve.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the ordinal number 'eleventh', you can form the word onzième by adding the suffix -ième to the stem.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɔ̃z/
Did you know?
- The word onze is a linguistic survivor from the Latin word ūndecim, which is a combination of 'unus' meaning 'one' and 'decem' meaning 'ten'.
- In French football, onze is often used as a shorthand term for the entire starting lineup of a team, similar to how English speakers use the phrase 'first eleven'.
- In French gambling or card games, onze is often associated with the 'blackjack' value, though the game is typically called 'le vingt-et-un' to emphasize the total of 21.
Examples in context
- L'événement commencera à onze heures précises.The event will start at eleven o'clock sharp.
- Il y a onze élèves dans la classe.There are eleven students in the class.
- J'ai acheté onze pommes au marché.I bought eleven apples at the market.
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are checking the inventory of a small shop.
- LéaCombien de cahiers avons-nous ?How many notebooks do we have?
- LucasNous avons exactement onze cahiers.We have exactly eleven notebooks.
- LéaC'est un peu moins que prévu.That is a little less than expected.
- LucasOui, il en manque quelques-uns.Yes, a few are missing.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry onze, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries onze, CC BY-SA 4.0.
