# fallacy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfæl.ə.si/ · frequency rank #22,081

## Definitions
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.

## Etymology
From Middle English fallaci, fallace, fallas, from Old French fallace, from Latin fallācia (“deception, deceit”), from fallāx (“deceptive, deceitful”), from fallere (“to deceive”).

## Easily confused with
- **fallback** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fallacy-vs-fallback)

## Common misspellings (9)
`afllacy`, `falacy`, `falalcy`, `fallaccy`, `fallacyy`, `fallayc`, `fallcay`, `ffallacy`, `flalacy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fallacy