fallacy
/ˈfæl.ə.si/noun
fallacy is spelled F-A-L-L-A-C-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fallacy means “Deceptive or false appearance; that which misleads the eye or the mind” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fallacy is fallacies.
How many letters and syllables are in fallacy?
| Letters | 7: F-A-L-L-A-C-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,073rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is fallacy?
Fallacy appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd 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 fallacy?
- US /ˈfæl.ə.si/
- /ˈfɛl.ə.si/
Fallacy has 3 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-fallacy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fallacy
- fallacies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fallacy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Deceptive or false appearance; that which misleads the eye or the mind.
- 2
An argument, or apparent argument, which professes to be decisive of the matter at issue, while in reality it is not; a specious argument.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fallacy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tromperie , sophisme |
| German | Täuschung , Trugschluss, Fehlschluss |
| Portuguese | ilusão , falácia |
| Spanish | falacia |
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 fallacy come from?
From Middle English fallaci, fallace, fallas, from Old French fallace (whence -acy), from Latin fallācia (“deception, deceit”), from fallāx (“deceptive, deceitful”), from fallere (“to deceive”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).