facsimile

/fækˈsɪm.ə.li/

//fækˈsɪm.ə.li// noun

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

"facsimile" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“facsimile” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,038. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,038
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A copy or reproduction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-facsimile · facsimile · English

facsimile · rank #30,038 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,038
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fanciful

Nearest frequency peer: fanciful (+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 “facsimile”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “facsimile” 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
Key facts for facsimile
PropertyValue
Headwordfacsimile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fækˈsɪm.ə.li/
Letters9
Frequency rank#30,038
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “facsimile”

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).facsimilelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “fanciful” (#30,039), “Faraday” (#30,040), “exuberant” (#30,035). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “facsimile” is #30,038. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around facsimile (IPA /fækˈsɪm.ə.li/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,038 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for facsimile, with forms such as "afcsimile", "faccsimile", and "facismile". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin fac simile (“make like”), from fac (“make”) (imperative of facere (“make”)) + simile (neuter of similis (“like, similar”)). The correct English form is facsimile, spelled F-A-C-S-I-M-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A copy or reproduction.
  2. 2
    Reproduction in the exact form as the original.
  3. 3
    A fax, a machine for making and sending copies of printed material and images via radio or telephone network.
  4. 4
    The image sent by the machine itself.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To paraphrase the critic of the Times, if one may make the facsimile of a human being out of bronze, why not the facsimile of a Brillo carton out of plywood?
  2. Indeed his rendering is so excellent an example of mediæval learning and latinity that, even at the risk of sating the learned reader with too many antiquities, I have made up my mind to give it in fac-simile, together with an expanded version for the benefit of those who find the contractions troublesome.

Etymology

From Latin fac simile (“make like”), from fac (“make”) (imperative of facere (“make”)) + simile (neuter of similis (“like, similar”)).

Synonyms

autotypecopyreproductionfacsimile machinefaxfax machinefacsimile reproductionfax

This word in other languages

facsímil(Español)fac-similé(Français)Faksimile(Deutsch)fax(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afcsimile
  • faccsimile
  • facismile
  • facsiimle
  • facsimiel
  • facsimille
  • facsimlie
  • facsimmile
  • facsmiile
  • facssimile
  • fascimile
  • fcasimile
  • ffacsimile

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of facsimile - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

afcsimile2faccsimile1facismile2facsiimle2facsimiel2facsimille1facsimlie2facsimmile1
Edit distance from "facsimile"

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 "facsimile"?
"facsimile" is spelled F-A-C-S-I-M-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fækˈsɪm.ə.li/.
What does "facsimile" mean?
As a noun, "facsimile" means: A copy or reproduction.
What are common misspellings of "facsimile"?
Common misspellings include "afcsimile", "faccsimile", "facismile", "facsiimle", "facsimiel". The correct spelling is "facsimile".
How do you pronounce "facsimile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "facsimile" is /fækˈsɪm.ə.li/. 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 "facsimile"?
From Latin fac simile (“make like”), from fac (“make”) (imperative of facere (“make”)) + simile (neuter of similis (“like, similar”)). 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 "facsimile", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

exuberant#30,035Feinstein#30,042equalizer#30,024elegantly#30,018

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

grandiose13 variantsgrowling13 variantsharmonica13 variantsdeceitful13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list