far

/fɑː/

//fɑː// adj

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

"far" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“far” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #295 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#295
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Distant; remote in space.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

far vs fi
33% similar
far vs FL
0% similar
far vs FM
0% similar

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

Key facts for far
PropertyValue
Headwordfar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fɑː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#295
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “far” 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). far 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 far is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɑː/. Corpus data places it at rank #295 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

far has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fi", "FL", "FM", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English ferre, fer, Old English feor, feorr, from Proto-Germanic *ferrai The correct English form is far, spelled F-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Distant; remote in space.
  2. 2
    Remote in time.
  3. 3
    Long.
  4. 4
    More remote of two.
  5. 5
    Extreme, as measured from some central or neutral position.
  6. 6
    Extreme, as a difference in nature or quality.
  7. 7
    Outside the currently selected segment in a segmented memory architecture.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English ferre, fer, Old English feor, feorr, from Proto-Germanic *ferrai

Synonyms

distantdistant

Antonyms

closenear

This word in other languages

lejano(Español)lointain(Français)fern(Deutsch)longe(Português)

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 "far"?
"far" is spelled F-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /fɑː/.
What does "far" mean?
As an adjective, "far" means: Distant; remote in space.
What words are commonly confused with "far"?
"far" is commonly confused with "fi", "FL", "FM". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "far"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "far" is /fɑː/. 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 "far"?
Inherited from Middle English ferre, fer, Old English feor, feorr, from Proto-Germanic *ferrai 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 “far”

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

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