facepalm

/ˈfeɪsˌpɑː(l)m/

//ˈfeɪsˌpɑː(l)m// noun

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

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

The verdict

“facepalm” is uncommon English (frequency #51,696 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,696
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A gesture of bringing one or both palms to the face, with various interpretations including exasperation, chagrin, frustration, embarrassment (one's own or vicarious), etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-facepalm · facepalm · English

facepalm · rank #51,696 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,696
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH factorial

Nearest frequency peer: factorial (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “facepalm”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “facepalm” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for facepalm
PropertyValue
Headwordfacepalm
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfeɪsˌpɑː(l)m/
Letters8
Frequency rank#51,696
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “facepalm” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).facepalmfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “factorial” (#51,697), “exude” (#51,694), “Fanta” (#51,699). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “facepalm” is #51,696. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

facepalm is uncommon English at frequency #51,696 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfeɪsˌpɑː(l)m/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A gesture of bringing one or both palms to the face, with various interpretations including exasperation, chagrin, frustration, embarrassment (one's own or vicarious), etc.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for facepalm, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From face + palm. Attested since at least 2001. The correct English form is facepalm, spelled F-A-C-E-P-A-L-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gesture of bringing one or both palms to the face, with various interpretations including exasperation, chagrin, frustration, embarrassment (one's own or vicarious), etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [Cue: William Tell Overture] [sound of Frank Zappa's “San Ber'dino” being played on Japanese instruments] [Kevin (the Muse): “Wargh! It SAID _William Tell!”] [Cantata11 (walking up with a koto): “Oof. Sorry. It's just that the girls had gotten warmed up to the other thingy...”] [Kevin: “William _Tell_, 11.” (facepalm)]
  2. “Do you think Carl Sagan might be available?” There was a mass-facepalm. “No.” they chorused.

Etymology

From face + palm. Attested since at least 2001.

This word in other languages

facepalm(Français)Facepalm(Deutsch)

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 "facepalm"?
"facepalm" is spelled F-A-C-E-P-A-L-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfeɪsˌpɑː(l)m/.
What does "facepalm" mean?
As a noun, "facepalm" means: A gesture of bringing one or both palms to the face, with various interpretations including exasperation, chagrin, frustration, embarrassment (one's own or vicarious), etc.
How do you pronounce "facepalm"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "facepalm" is /ˈfeɪsˌpɑː(l)m/. 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 "facepalm"?
From face + palm. Attested since at least 2001. 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 "facepalm", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

escapade#51,689foothill#51,708Gerhardt#51,723ghosting#51,724

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list