Is « oreille » masculine or feminine?

« oreille » is feminine. You say l'oreille.

Article forms

With the definite article l'oreille
With the indefinite article une oreille
With the partitive article de l'oreille

Plural

The plural is oreilles (les oreilles). A noun keeps its gender in the plural; only the article stops showing it.

Why the gender

oreille ends in -eille. Nouns ending in -eille are usually feminine, so oreille follows the pattern. The full rules by ending cover every common suffix.

Related words

Other common nouns that end the same way:

Common questions

Is « oreille » masculine or feminine?

« oreille » is feminine. You say l'oreille.

« l'oreille » hides the gender. Is « oreille » masculine or feminine?

It is feminine. The article shortens to « l'oreille » for both genders, but you say une oreille, not un oreille, and adjectives take the feminine form.


Check another word, or read the complete guide to French noun gender.