fairy

/ˈfɛəɹi/

//ˈfɛəɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fairy” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,242. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,242
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The realm of faerie; enchantment, illusion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fairy · fairy · English

fairy · rank #6,242 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,242
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fabulous

Nearest frequency peer: fabulous (-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 “fairy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fairy” 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).

fairy vs far
60% similar
fairy vs fry
60% similar
fairy vs fir
60% similar

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

Key facts for fairy
PropertyValue
Headwordfairy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛəɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,242
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fairy”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).fairylands 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 “fabulous” (#6,241), “fathers” (#6,243), “fabric” (#6,240). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fairy” is #6,242. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around fairy (IPA /ˈfɛəɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,242 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for fairy, with forms such as "afiry", "fairry", and "fairyy". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "far", "fry", "fir", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English faierie, fairie, from Old French faerie, from fae + -erie, from Latin fāta (“goddess of fate”). Equivalent to fay + -ry. Attested in English from about 1330, in King Alisaunder, first in the sense of "enchantment, illusion, dream" ("that… The correct English form is fairy, spelled F-A-I-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The realm of faerie; enchantment, illusion.
  2. 2
    A mythical being of human form with magical powers, known in many sizes and descriptions, although often depicted in modern illustrations only as a small sprite with gauze-like wings, especially one that is female. Fairies are revered in some modern forms of paganism.
  3. 3
    An enchantress, or creature of overpowering charm.
  4. 4
    An attractive young woman.
  5. 5
    A male homosexual, especially one who is effeminate.
  6. 6
    An effeminate man or boy.
  7. 7
    A member of two species of hummingbird in the genus Heliothryx.
  8. 8
    A legendary Chinese immortal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "They used to say there were fairies in that hill, I must tell you!"
  2. "When are we going to see this fairy?" demanded Algy. "You, personally, never. You're far too immoral. I might let the others look at her from a distance in a year or two."

Etymology

From Middle English faierie, fairie, from Old French faerie, from fae + -erie, from Latin fāta (“goddess of fate”). Equivalent to fay + -ry. Attested in English from about 1330, in King Alisaunder, first in the sense of "enchantment, illusion, dream" ("that thou herdest is fairye") and shortly thereafter "realm of the fays, fairy-land" and "the inhabitants of fairyland, collectively". The re-interpretation of the term as a countable noun denoting individual inhabitants of fairy-land can be traced to the 1390s, but became common only in the 16th century, perhaps due to reinterpreting phrases like faerie knight.

Synonyms

fayfeyfaespritegoblinfagfaggotpoof

This word in other languages

hada(Español)fée(Français)Fee(Deutsch)fada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afiry
  • fairry
  • fairyy
  • faiyr
  • fariy
  • ffairy
  • fiary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afiry2fairry1fairyy1faiyr2fariy2ffairy1fiary2
Edit distance from "fairy"

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 "fairy"?
"fairy" is spelled F-A-I-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛəɹi/.
What does "fairy" mean?
As a noun, "fairy" means: The realm of faerie; enchantment, illusion.
What words are commonly confused with "fairy"?
"fairy" is commonly confused with "far", "fry", "fir". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fairy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fairy" is /ˈfɛəɹi/. 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 "fairy"?
From Middle English faierie, fairie, from Old French faerie, from fae + -erie, from Latin fāta (“goddess of fate”). Equivalent to fay + -ry. Attested in English from about 1330, in King Alisaunder, first in the sense of "enchantment, illusion, dre... 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 "fairy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

freak#6,246grief#6,251Dubai#6,231chick#6,223

Similar misspelling depth

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

essays7 variantslodge7 variantsmerit7 variantsmicro7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list