familiar

/fəˈmɪl.i.ə/

//fəˈmɪl.i.ə// adj

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

"familiar" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“familiar” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,442 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#2,442
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Known to one, or generally known; commonplace.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

familiar vs familia
88% similar
familiar vs familial
88% similar

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

Key facts for familiar
PropertyValue
Headwordfamiliar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fəˈmɪl.i.ə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,442
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “familiar” 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). familiar 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 familiar is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fəˈmɪl.i.ə/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,442 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for familiar, with forms such as "afmiliar", "faimliar", and "famiilar". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "familia", "familial", 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 familiar, familier, from Latin familiāris (“pertaining to servants; pertaining to the household”). By surface analysis, family + -ar. Piecewise doublet of familial. Displaced native Old English hīwcūþ. The correct English form is familiar, spelled F-A-M-I-L-I-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Known to one, or generally known; commonplace.
  2. 2
    Acquainted.
  3. 3
    Intimate or friendly.
  4. 4
    Of or pertaining to a family; familial.

Etymology

From Middle English familiar, familier, from Latin familiāris (“pertaining to servants; pertaining to the household”). By surface analysis, family + -ar. Piecewise doublet of familial. Displaced native Old English hīwcūþ.

Synonyms

acquaintedclosefriendlyintimatepersonalcheekyfreshimpudentaccustomedfamiliarhabitualknownpredictableroutinewontedwontish

Antonyms

ignorantunfamiliarunknownunacquaintedcoldcooldistantimpersonalstandoffishunfriendlystrangeunaccustomedunpredictableunwonted

This word in other languages

familiar(Español)familier(Français)bekannt(Deutsch)familiar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: afmiliar,faimliar,famiilar,familair,familiarr,familira,familliar,famliiar,fammiliar,ffamiliar,fmailiar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of familiar - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

afmiliar2faimliar2famiilar2familair2familiarr1familira2familliar1famliiar2
Edit distance from "familiar"

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 "familiar"?
"familiar" is spelled F-A-M-I-L-I-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /fəˈmɪl.i.ə/.
What does "familiar" mean?
As an adjective, "familiar" means: Known to one, or generally known; commonplace.
What words are commonly confused with "familiar"?
"familiar" is commonly confused with "familia", "familial". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "familiar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "familiar" is /fəˈmɪl.i.ə/. 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 "familiar"?
From Middle English familiar, familier, from Latin familiāris (“pertaining to servants; pertaining to the household”). By surface analysis, family + -ar. Piecewise doublet of familial. Displaced native Old English hīwcūþ. 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 “familiar”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-A-M-I-L-I-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fəˈmɪl.i.ə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “familia” - see the side-by-side comparison. familiar vs familia
  • 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