failure

/ˈfeɪ.ljə/

//ˈfeɪ.ljə// noun

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

"failure" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“failure” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,939 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,939
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

failure vs figure
71% similar
failure vs failures
88% similar

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

Key facts for failure
PropertyValue
Headwordfailure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfeɪ.ljə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,939
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “failure” 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). failure lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for failure is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfeɪ.ljə/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,939 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for failure, with forms such as "afilure", "faillure", and "failrue". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "figure", "failures", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman failer, from Old French faillir (“to fail”). Equivalent to fail + -ure. The correct English form is failure, spelled F-A-I-L-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
  2. 2
    State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
  3. 3
    Omission to do something, whether or not it was attempted, especially something that ought to have been done.
  4. 4
    An object, person or endeavour in a state of failure, has failed at something or incapable of success.
  5. 5
    Termination of the ability of an item to perform its required function; breakdown.
  6. 6
    Bankruptcy.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman failer, from Old French faillir (“to fail”). Equivalent to fail + -ure.

Synonyms

failloser

Antonyms

successtriumph

This word in other languages

fallo(Español)échec(Français)Misserfolg(Deutsch)fracasso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: afilure,faillure,failrue,failuer,failurre,faiulre,faliure,ffailure,fialure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of failure - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

afilure2faillure1failrue2failuer2failurre1faiulre2faliure2ffailure1
Edit distance from "failure"

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 "failure"?
"failure" is spelled F-A-I-L-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfeɪ.ljə/.
What does "failure" mean?
As a noun, "failure" means: State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success.
What words are commonly confused with "failure"?
"failure" is commonly confused with "figure", "failures". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "failure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "failure" is /ˈfeɪ.ljə/. 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 "failure"?
From Anglo-Norman failer, from Old French faillir (“to fail”). Equivalent to fail + -ure. 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.

Using “failure”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-A-I-L-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfeɪ.ljə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “figure” - see the side-by-side comparison. failure vs figure
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list