fain
/feɪn/obsolete
fain is spelled F-A-I-N: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 50,539th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “fain vs feign” about 20 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, fain means “Often followed by of: glad, well-pleased” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fain?
| Letters | 4: F-A-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 50,539th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fain?
Fain appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 50,539th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce fain?
- US /feɪn/
Fain has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-fain.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with fain
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: fane, feign (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with fain?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fain from its last stressed vowel (/eɪn/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: naif.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of fain
- more fain comparative
- most fain superlative
- faine
- fainer comparative
- fainest superlative
- fains present, singular, he/she/it
- faining participle, present
- fained participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fain mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
UKarchaicOften followed by of: glad, well-pleased.
- 2
UKarchaicGlad, contented, or satisfied to do something in the absence of a better alternative.
- 3
UKarchaicCompelled or obliged to.
- 4
UKarchaicChiefly followed by to, or (obsolete) for or of: eager or willing, or inclined.
- 5
archaicobsoleteFavourable, well-disposed.
- 6
archaicobsoleteAccustomed, apt, wont.
adverb
- 1
archaicobsoleteWith joy or pleasure; gladly.
- 2
archaicobsoleteBy choice or will; willingly.
verb
- 1
archaicobsoleterareTo be delighted or glad about (someone or something); to rejoice in; also, to favour or prefer (someone or something).
- 2
archaicobsoleteTo make (someone) glad; to gladden; hence, to congratulate (someone); to welcome (someone).
- 3
archaicobsoleteTo celebrate or worship; specifically, to offer an oblation which is not a sacrificial blót (“ceremonial offering”).
- 4
archaicobsoleteChiefly followed by of, in, on, or to: to be delighted or glad; to rejoice.
- 5
archaicobsoleteTo desire, to wish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does fain come from?
From Middle English fain (“enjoyable, pleasing; fond of; glad, pleased; good, suitable; happy, joyful”), from Old English fægen (“happy, joyful, fain”), from Proto-West Germanic *fagan (“glad”), from Proto-Germanic *faganaz (“glad”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“joyful; pretty”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).