fan fiction

/fæn fɪkʃən/

//fæn fɪkʃən// noun

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

"fan-fiction" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fan fiction” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fiction, typically amateur, created by fans, incorporating the characters and concepts of a commercial media property, typically without permission from the author or owner.

Key facts for fan fiction
PropertyValue
Headwordfan fiction
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fæn fɪkʃən/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fan fiction” sits in English frequency

fan fiction falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fan fiction is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /fæn fɪkʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for fan fiction, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s Proto-Italic *faznom Latin fānum Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Lat… The correct English form is fan fiction, spelled F-A-N- -F-I-C-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fiction, typically amateur, created by fans, incorporating the characters and concepts of a commercial media property, typically without permission from the author or owner.
  2. 2
    A work of fan fiction.
  3. 3
    Fiction about fans and fandom created by members of fandom.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s Proto-Italic *faznom Latin fānum Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Italic *-kos Latin -cus Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin fānāticuslbor. ▲ French fanatiqueinflu. English fanatic English fancyinflu. English fan English fiction English fan fiction From fan + fiction.

This word in other languages

fánfic(Español)fanfiction(Français)Fan-Fiction(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fan fiction"?
"fan fiction" is spelled F-A-N- -F-I-C-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /fæn fɪkʃən/.
What does "fan fiction" mean?
As a noun, "fan fiction" means: Fiction, typically amateur, created by fans, incorporating the characters and concepts of a commercial media property, typically without permission from the author or owner.
How do you pronounce "fan fiction"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fan fiction" is /fæn fɪkʃən/. 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 "fan fiction"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s Proto-Italic *faznom Latin fānum Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic ... 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 “fan fiction”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-A-N- -F-I-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fæn fɪkʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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