au fait
/ˌəʊˈfeɪ/
"au-fait" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“au fait” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Being familiar with or informed about something.
Corpus desk
Index EN-au-fait · au fait · English
au fait · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-4 4 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 | au fait |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌəʊˈfeɪ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “au fait” in English
Rare enough to double-check
au fait is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌəʊˈfeɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Being familiar with or informed about something.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for au fait, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French au fait (literally “at the fact”). The correct English form is au fait, spelled A-U- -F-A-I-T.
Definition
- 1Being familiar with or informed about something.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how au fait appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Are you au fait with the rules of the game?
The Chevalier was, as usual, au fait at all the anecdotes of the court, which had been exceedingly gay, owing to the visit of Madame de Savoie and her daughter, the Princess Marguerite.
Etymology
Borrowed from French au fait (literally “at the fact”).
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.