fail

/feɪl/

//feɪl// verb

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

"fail" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fail” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,441. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,441
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be unsuccessful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fail · fail · English

fail · rank #2,441 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,441
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH essential

Nearest frequency peer: essential (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “fail”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “fail” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

fail vs fi
50% similar
fail vs FL
0% similar
fail vs far
50% similar

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

Key facts for fail
PropertyValue
Headwordfail
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/feɪl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,441
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fail” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). fail lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around fail (IPA /feɪl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,441 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for fail, with forms such as "afil", "faill", and "fali". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fi", "FL", "far", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English failen, borrowed from Old French falir, from Vulgar Latin *fallire, alteration of Latin fallere (“to deceive, disappoint”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰāl- (“to lie, deceive”) or Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷʰh₂el- (“to stumble”).… The correct English form is fail, spelled F-A-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be unsuccessful.
  2. 2
    Not to achieve a particular stated goal. (Usage note: The direct object of this word is usually an infinitive.)
  3. 3
    To neglect.
  4. 4
    Of a machine, etc.: to cease to operate correctly.
  5. 5
    To be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert; to disappoint one's expectations.
  6. 6
    To receive one or more non-passing grades in academic pursuits.
  7. 7
    To give a student a non-passing grade in an academic endeavour.
  8. 8
    To miss attaining; to lose.
  9. 9
    To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence.
  10. 10
    To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; used with of.
  11. 11
    To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.
  12. 12
    To deteriorate in respect to vigour, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker.
  13. 13
    To perish; to die; used of a person.
  14. 14
    To err in judgment; to be mistaken.
  15. 15
    To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Throughout my life, I have always failed.
  2. If they ſhoulde gyue battayle it was to be doubted, leaſt through treaſon amõgſt themſelues, the armie ſhould be betrayed into the enimies hands, the which would not fayle to execute all kinde of crueltie in the ſlaughter of the whole nation.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English failen, borrowed from Old French falir, from Vulgar Latin *fallire, alteration of Latin fallere (“to deceive, disappoint”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰāl- (“to lie, deceive”) or Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷʰh₂el- (“to stumble”). Compare Alemannic German fääle (“to lack”), Cimbrian béelan, véelan (“to fail”), veln (“to be absent, missing”), Dutch falen, feilen (“to fail, miss”), German fallieren, fehlen (“to fail, miss, lack”), Danish fejle (“to fail, err”), Swedish fallera (“to fail, break, malfunction”), Spanish fallar (“to fail, miss”).

Synonyms

miscarryfoundercome to noughtcome to nothingcrash and burnfall flatfall on one's facego downhillgo down the toiletgo to potgo to the dogsgo up in flamesgo up in smokedie in the asseverything one touches turns to shitgo to hellgo to shitflunkgobombbustconktank

Antonyms

succeed

This word in other languages

fracasar(Español)échouer(Français)scheitern(Deutsch)falhar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afil
  • faill
  • fali
  • ffail
  • fial

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afil2faill1fali2ffail1fial2
Edit distance from "fail"

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

How do you spell "fail"?
"fail" is spelled F-A-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /feɪl/.
What does "fail" mean?
As a verb, "fail" means: To be unsuccessful.
What words are commonly confused with "fail"?
"fail" is commonly confused with "fi", "FL", "far". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fail"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fail" is /feɪl/. 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 "fail"?
Inherited from Middle English failen, borrowed from Old French falir, from Vulgar Latin *fallire, alteration of Latin fallere (“to deceive, disappoint”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰāl- (“to lie, deceive”) or Proto-Indo-European *(s)gʷʰh₂el- (“to ... 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 "fail", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Ohio#2,455wave#2,423seek#2,462solo#2,464

Similar misspelling depth

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

info5 variantsjail5 variantsAlex5 variantszero5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "fail". Here's where to go from here.

  • "fail" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "fi". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,441 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list