fair

/fɛə/

//fɛə// adj

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

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

The verdict

“fair” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,104 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,104
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fair vs fi
50% similar
fair vs for
50% similar
fair vs far
75% similar

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

Key facts for fair
PropertyValue
Headwordfair
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fɛə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,104
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fair” 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). fair 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 fair is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɛə/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,104 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for fair, with forms such as "afir", "fairr", and "fari". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fi", "for", "far", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fayr, feir, fager, from Old English fæġer (“beautiful”), from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz (“suitable, fitting, nice”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- (“to fasten, place”). Cognate with Scots fayr, fare (“fair… The correct English form is fair, spelled F-A-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.
  2. 2
    Unblemished (figuratively or literally); clean and pure; innocent.
  3. 3
    Light in color, pale, particularly with regard to skin tone but also referring to blond and red hair.
  4. 4
    Just.
  5. 5
    Adequate, reasonable, or decent, but not excellent.
  6. 6
    Favorable to a ship's course.
  7. 7
    Favorable, pleasant.
  8. 8
    Favorable, pleasant.
  9. 9
    Favorable, pleasant.
  10. 10
    Without sudden change of direction or curvature; smooth; flowing; said of the figure of a vessel, and of surfaces, water lines, and other lines.
  11. 11
    Between the baselines.
  12. 12
    Taken direct from an opponent's foot, without the ball touching the ground or another player.
  13. 13
    Not a no ball.
  14. 14
    Of a coin or die, having equal chance of landing on any side, unbiased.

Etymology

From Middle English fayr, feir, fager, from Old English fæġer (“beautiful”), from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz (“suitable, fitting, nice”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- (“to fasten, place”). Cognate with Scots fayr, fare (“fair”), Danish feir, faver, fager (“fair, pretty”), Norwegian fager (“fair, pretty”), Swedish fager (“fair, pretty”), Icelandic fagur (“beautiful, fair”), Umbrian pacer (“gracious, merciful, kind”), Slovak pekný (“good-looking, handsome, nice”). See also peace.

This word in other languages

bello(Español)beau(Français)schön(Deutsch)belo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: afir,fairr,fari,ffair,fiar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afir2fairr1fari2ffair1fiar2
Edit distance from "fair"

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 "fair"?
"fair" is spelled F-A-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is /fɛə/.
What does "fair" mean?
As an adjective, "fair" means: Beautiful, of a pleasing appearance, with a pure and fresh quality.
What words are commonly confused with "fair"?
"fair" is commonly confused with "fi", "for", "far". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fair"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fair" is /fɛə/. 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 "fair"?
From Middle English fayr, feir, fager, from Old English fæġer (“beautiful”), from Proto-West Germanic *fagr, from Proto-Germanic *fagraz (“suitable, fitting, nice”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ḱ- (“to fasten, place”). Cognate with Scots fayr, f... 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 “fair”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-A-I-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fɛə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “fi” - see the side-by-side comparison. fair vs fi
  • 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