a few
/ə ˈfjuː/
"a-few" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“a few” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a determiner. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small number of (a set of countable items); more than one but not very many; especially, more than two but not very many (explained in usage note at several).
Corpus desk
Index EN-a-few · a few · English
a few · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | a few |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Determiner |
| IPA | /ə ˈfjuː/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “a few” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
a few is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as adeterminer, transcribed /ə ˈfjuː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A small number of (a set of countable items); more than one but not very many; especially, more than two but not very many (explained in usage note at several).".
a few doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is a few, spelled A- -F-E-W.
Definition
- 1A small number of (a set of countable items); more than one but not very many; especially, more than two but not very many (explained in usage note at several).
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how a few appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
She loves to sing karaoke, but there are a few songs that she refuses to cover.
After a dismal few months my life at long last changed for the better.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.