fairy
/ˈfɛəɹi/noun, adjective
fairy is spelled F-A-I-R-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “faerie vs fairy” about 2,400 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, fairy means “A mythical being of human form with magical powers, known in many sizes and descriptions, although typically depicted as a small sprite with…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fairy is fairies.
How many letters and syllables are in fairy?
| Letters | 5: F-A-I-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,230th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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 fairy?
Fairy appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,230th 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 fairy?
- UK /ˈfɛəɹi/
- /ˈfeːɹiː/
- Australia /ˈfeːɹi/
Fairy has 2 syllables (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-fairy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with fairy
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: faerie.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with fairy?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fairy from its last stressed vowel (/ɛəɹi/, British pronunciation):
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 fairy
- fairies plural
- faery
- faëry
- faerie
- faërie
- fairie
- more fairy comparative
- most fairy superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fairy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A mythical being of human form with magical powers, known in many sizes and descriptions, although typically depicted as a small sprite with gauze-like wings, especially one that is female. Fairies are revered in some modern forms of paganism.
- 2
derogatoryslangA male homosexual, especially one who is effeminate.
- 3
derogatoryslangAn effeminate man or boy.
- 4
colloquialAn attractive young woman; a small, graceful woman.
- 5
An enchantress, or creature of overpowering charm.
- 6
A member of two species of hummingbird in the genus Heliothryx.
- 7
A legendary Chinese immortal.
- 8
obsoleteThe realm of faerie; enchantment, illusion.
adjective
- 1
Like a fairy; fanciful, whimsical, delicate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fairy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense mythical being:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fée, féetaud |
| German | Fee, Elfe, Feenwesen, Naturgeister, Geist, Alb |
| Portuguese | fada, elfo |
| Spanish | hada, fada |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does fairy come from?
From Middle English faierie, fairie, from Old French faerie, from fae (from Latin fāta (“goddess of fate”)) + -erie. 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".
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).