fairway

/ˈfɛɹweɪ/

//ˈfɛɹweɪ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fairway” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,551. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,551
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The area between the tee and the green, where the grass is cut short.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fairway · fairway · English

fairway · rank #31,551 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,551
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH facelift

Nearest frequency peer: facelift (-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 “fairway”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fairway” 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).

fairway vs fairy
71% similar
fairway vs faraway
71% similar
fairway vs fairly
71% similar

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

Key facts for fairway
PropertyValue
Headwordfairway
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛɹweɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#31,551
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fairway”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).fairwaylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “facelift” (#31,550), “fanboy” (#31,552), “expertly” (#31,549). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fairway” is #31,551. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around fairway (IPA /ˈfɛɹweɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,551 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for fairway, with forms such as "afirway", "fairawy", and "fairrway". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "fairy", "faraway", "fairly", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From fair + way. The correct English form is fairway, spelled F-A-I-R-W-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The area between the tee and the green, where the grass is cut short.
  2. 2
    Any tract of land free from obstacles.
  3. 3
    A channel either from offshore, in a river, or in a harbor that has enough depth to accommodate the draft of large vessels. (JP 4-01.6)
  4. 4
    A navigable channel in a harbour, offshore etc; the usual course taken by vessels in such places.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. By good fortune, paddle as I pleased, the tide was still sweeping me down; and there lay the Hispaniola right in the fairway, hardly to be missed.
  2. Lights of ships moved in the fairway—a great stir of lights going up and going down.

Etymology

From fair + way.

This word in other languages

calle(Español)Fairway(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afirway
  • fairawy
  • fairrway
  • fairwayy
  • fairwway
  • fairwya
  • faiwray
  • fariway
  • ffairway
  • fiarway

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fairway - 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.

afirway2fairawy2fairrway1fairwayy1fairwway1fairwya2faiwray2fariway2
Edit distance from "fairway"

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 "fairway"?
"fairway" is spelled F-A-I-R-W-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛɹweɪ/.
What does "fairway" mean?
As a noun, "fairway" means: The area between the tee and the green, where the grass is cut short.
What words are commonly confused with "fairway"?
"fairway" is commonly confused with "fairy", "faraway", "fairly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fairway"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fairway" is /ˈfɛɹweɪ/. 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 "fairway"?
From fair + way. 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 "fairway", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Fawcett#31,555Fitzroy#31,559gagging#31,569edifice#31,532

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

embossed10 variantsechelon10 variantsDuterte10 variantsdryness10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list