fails

/feɪlz/

//feɪlz// verb

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

"fails" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fails” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,600. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,600
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - third-person singular simple present indicative of fail

Corpus desk

Index EN-fails · fails · English

fails · rank #4,600 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,600
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH examination

Nearest frequency peer: examination (-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 “fails”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fails” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

fails vs fil
60% similar
fails vs fas
60% similar
fails vs FIS
0% similar

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

Key facts for fails
PropertyValue
Headwordfails
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/feɪlz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,600
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fails”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “examination” (#4,599), “exam” (#4,598), “federation” (#4,602). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fails” is #4,600. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around fails (IPA /feɪlz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,600 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "third-person singular simple present indicative of fail".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for fails, with forms such as "afils", "faills", and "failss". 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 also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fil", "fas", "FIS", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is fails, spelled F-A-I-L-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    third-person singular simple present indicative of fail

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afils
  • faills
  • failss
  • faisl
  • falis
  • ffails
  • fials

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fails - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

afils2faills1failss1faisl2falis2ffails1fials2
Edit distance from "fails"

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 "fails"?
"fails" is spelled F-A-I-L-S. The IPA pronunciation is /feɪlz/.
What does "fails" mean?
As a verb, "fails" means: third-person singular simple present indicative of fail
What words are commonly confused with "fails"?
"fails" is commonly confused with "fil", "fas", "FIS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fails"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fails" is /feɪlz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fails" come from?
"fails" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "fails", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Jerry#4,610lover#4,611coins#4,588panic#4,621

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Cooper7 variantsscope7 variantsvessel7 variantsterror7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list