facile
/ˈfæs.aɪl/
"facile" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“facile” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,456. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #46,456
- frequency rank, English
- 2,507
- “F” headwords
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 15
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Easy; contemptibly easy.
Corpus desk
Index EN-facile · facile · English
facile · rank #46,456 · 8 variants · 15 confusables
- FREQ-MID #46,456
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
- VAR-MID 8 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,507
- PHOTO-FINISH eyesore
Nearest frequency peer: eyesore (-2 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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “facile”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- expediency
expediency
53,549 corpus weight
- eyesore
eyesore
53,547 corpus weight
- facile
facile
53,545 corpus weight
- fatherless
fatherless
53,543 corpus weight
- Featherstone
Featherstone
53,542 corpus weight
- feely
feely
53,541 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “facile” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | facile |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈfæs.aɪl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #46,456 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 15 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “facile” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 8 spelling variants around facile (IPA /ˈfæs.aɪl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #46,456 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for facile, with forms such as "afcile", "faccile", and "faciel". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "file", "fail", "fails", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French facile, from Latin facilis (“easy to do, easy, doable”), from Latin facere (“to do, make”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put”) Compare Spanish fácil (“easy”). First use appears c. 1484 in a translation by William Cax… The correct English form is facile, spelled F-A-C-I-L-E.
Definition
- 1Easy; contemptibly easy.
- 2Amiable, flexible, easy to get along with.
- 3Effortless, fluent (of work, abilities etc.).
- 4Lazy, simplistic, superficial (especially of explanations, discussions etc.).
- 5Of a reaction or other process, taking place readily.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how facile appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
[…] as he that is benummed with cold, sits still shaking, that might relieve himselfe with a little exercise or stirring, doe they complaine, but will not use the facile and ready meanes to doe themselves good; […]
His facile disposition made him many friends.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French facile, from Latin facilis (“easy to do, easy, doable”), from Latin facere (“to do, make”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do, put”) Compare Spanish fácil (“easy”). First use appears c. 1484 in a translation by William Caxton.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- afcile
- faccile
- faciel
- facille
- faclie
- faicle
- fcaile
- ffacile
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of facile - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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.
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 September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "facile", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "facile". Here's where to go from here.
- "facile" maps to 15 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "file". View pair
- 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #46,456 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.