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” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #295) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#295
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Distant; remote in space.

Corpus desk

Index EN-far · far · English

far · rank #295 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #295
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH came

Nearest frequency peer: came (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “far”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “far” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

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.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for far is neighbouring look-alikes ("fi", "FL", …), not just typos; it is anadjective pronounced /fɑː/. Frequency #295 among 2,507 “F” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how far appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He went to a far land.
  2. And they went to Ioshua vnto the campe at Gilgal, and said vnto him, and to the men of Israel, Wee be come from a farre countrey: Now therefore make ye a league with vs.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "far", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

job#296try#299men#289yes#301
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