false

/fɔːls/

//fɔːls// adj

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

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

The verdict

“false” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,345 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#2,345
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Untrue, not factual, factually incorrect.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

false vs fas
60% similar
false vs fast
60% similar
false vs fans
60% similar

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

Key facts for false
PropertyValue
Headwordfalse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fɔːls/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,345
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “false” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). false lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for false is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɔːls/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,345 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for false, with forms such as "aflse", "fales", and "fallse". 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, "fas", "fast", "fans", 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 Middle English false, fals, from Old English fals (“false; counterfeit; fraudulent; wrong; mistaken”), from Latin falsus (“counterfeit, false; falsehood”), perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman an… The correct English form is false, spelled F-A-L-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Untrue, not factual, factually incorrect.
  2. 2
    Based on factually incorrect premises.
  3. 3
    Spurious, artificial.
  4. 4
    Of a state in Boolean logic that indicates a negative result.
  5. 5
    Uttering falsehood; dishonest or deceitful.
  6. 6
    Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous.
  7. 7
    Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous.
  8. 8
    Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental.
  9. 9
    Used in the vernacular name of a species (or group of species) together with the name of another species to which it is similar in appearance.
  10. 10
    Out of tune.

Etymology

From Middle English false, fals, from Old English fals (“false; counterfeit; fraudulent; wrong; mistaken”), from Latin falsus (“counterfeit, false; falsehood”), perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman and Old French fals, faus. Compare Scots fals, false, Saterland Frisian falsk, German falsch, Dutch vals, Swedish and Danish falsk; all from Latin falsus. Displaced native Middle English les, lese, from Old English lēas (“false”); See lease, leasing. Doublet of faux. The verb is from Middle English falsen, falsien, from Old French falser, from Latin falsō (“falsify”), itself also from falsus; compare French fausser (“to falsify, to distort”).

Synonyms

lease

This word in other languages

falso(Español)faux(Français)falsch(Deutsch)errado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aflse,fales,fallse,falsse,fasle,ffalse,flase

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aflse2fales2fallse1falsse1fasle2ffalse1flase2
Edit distance from "false"

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 "false"?
"false" is spelled F-A-L-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔːls/.
What does "false" mean?
As an adjective, "false" means: Untrue, not factual, factually incorrect.
What words are commonly confused with "false"?
"false" is commonly confused with "fas", "fast", "fans". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "false"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "false" is /fɔːls/. 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 "false"?
From Middle English false, fals, from Old English fals (“false; counterfeit; fraudulent; wrong; mistaken”), from Latin falsus (“counterfeit, false; falsehood”), perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Reinforced in Middle English by Anglo... 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.

Using “false”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-A-L-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fɔːls/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “fas” - see the side-by-side comparison. false vs fas
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list