# facial

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/ · frequency rank #6,049

## Definitions
1. Of or affecting the face.
2. Concerned with or used in improving the appearance of the face.
3. (of a law or regulation validity) On its face; as it appears (as opposed to on a more probing analysis, as it is applied, etc.).

## Etymology
Early 17th century, borrowed from Medieval Latin faciālis (“face-to-face, direct, open”), from faciēs (“form, configuration, figure; face, visage, countenance”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix).

## Easily confused with
- **fail** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-fail)
- **fatal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-fatal)
- **focal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-focal)
- **fecal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-fecal)
- **facie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-facie)
- **facing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-facing)
- **fascia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-fascia)
- **Faisal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-faisal)
- **filial** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-filial)
- **facile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-facile)
- **factual** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-factual)
- **fractal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-fractal)
- **farcical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/facial-vs-farcical)
- **Fabian** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fabian-vs-facial)

## Common misspellings (8)
`afcial`, `facail`, `faccial`, `faciall`, `facila`, `faical`, `fcaial`, `ffacial`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/facial