fabulous

/ˈfæbjʊləs/

//ˈfæbjʊləs// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"fabulous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fabulous” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,241. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,241
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to fable, myth or legend.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fabulous · fabulous · English

fabulous · rank #6,241 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,241
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fabric

Nearest frequency peer: fabric (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “fabulous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “fabulous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

fabulous vs fabulously
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for fabulous
PropertyValue
Headwordfabulous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfæbjʊləs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,241
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fabulous”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).fabulouslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “fabric” (#6,240), “fairy” (#6,242), “exhausted” (#6,239). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fabulous” is #6,241. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around fabulous (IPA /ˈfæbjʊləs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,241 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for fabulous, with forms such as "afbulous", "fabbulous", and "fabluous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "fabulously", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English fabulous, fabulose, from Latin fābulōsus (“celebrated in fable”); Equivalent to fable + -ous. The correct English form is fabulous, spelled F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to fable, myth or legend.
  2. 2
    Characteristic of fables; marvelous, extraordinary, incredible.
  3. 3
    Fictional or not believable; made up.
  4. 4
    Known for telling fables or falsehoods; unreliable.
  5. 5
    Very good; outstanding, wonderful.
  6. 6
    Camp, effeminate.
  7. 7
    Fashionable, glamorous.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how fabulous appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. [F]abulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: […]

Etymology

From Late Middle English fabulous, fabulose, from Latin fābulōsus (“celebrated in fable”); Equivalent to fable + -ous.

Synonyms

excellent

This word in other languages

increíble(Español)fabuleux(Français)mythisch(Deutsch)fabuloso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afbulous
  • fabbulous
  • fabluous
  • fabullous
  • fabulosu
  • fabulouss
  • fabuluos
  • fabuolus
  • faublous
  • fbaulous
  • ffabulous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fabulous - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

afbulous2fabbulous1fabluous2fabullous1fabulosu2fabulouss1fabuluos2fabuolus2
Edit distance from "fabulous"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fabulous"?
"fabulous" is spelled F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfæbjʊləs/.
What does "fabulous" mean?
As an adjective, "fabulous" means: Of or relating to fable, myth or legend.
What words are commonly confused with "fabulous"?
"fabulous" is commonly confused with "fabulously". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fabulous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fabulous" is /ˈfæbjʊləs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "fabulous"?
From Late Middle English fabulous, fabulose, from Latin fābulōsus (“celebrated in fable”); Equivalent to fable + -ous. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "fabulous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

enhanced#6,237elephant#6,236dynamics#6,235gambling#6,248

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

fathers11 variantsglorious11 variantsdiameter11 variantslacking11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list