farthing

/ˈfɑː(ɹ).ðɪŋ/

//ˈfɑː(ɹ).ðɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“farthing” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,922. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,922
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A quarter of any monetary unit or measure.

Corpus desk

Index EN-farthing · farthing · English

farthing · rank #45,922 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,922
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fantasizing

Nearest frequency peer: fantasizing (-2 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “farthing”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “farthing” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

farthing vs fasting
75% similar
farthing vs farting
88% similar
farthing vs faring
75% similar

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

Key facts for farthing
PropertyValue
Headwordfarthing
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɑː(ɹ).ðɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#45,922
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “farthing”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “fantasizing” (#45,920), “Falcone” (#45,919), “feigning” (#45,925). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “farthing” is #45,922. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around farthing (IPA /ˈfɑː(ɹ).ðɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,922 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for farthing, with forms such as "afrthing", "farhting", and "farrthing". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "fasting", "farting", "faring", 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 ferthing, from Old English fēorþing, fēorþung (“a quarter, fourth part, farthing”), from fēorþa (“fourth”), from Proto-Germanic *fedurþungaz (“a quarter”), probably influenced by Old Norse fjórðungr (“a fourth part, quarter”). Equivalent… The correct English form is farthing, spelled F-A-R-T-H-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A quarter of any monetary unit or measure.
  2. 2
    Former British unit of currency worth one-quarter of an old penny; or a coin representing this.
  3. 3
    A very small quantity or value; the least possible amount.
  4. 4
    A division of land.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Nay, Heaven forbid, indeed," quoth Robin, "that I should take from such as thee, jolly fellow! Not so much as one farthing would I take from thee, for I love a fair Saxon face like thine right well—more especially when it cometh from Locksley Town, and most especially when the man that owneth it is to marry a bonny lass on Thursday next. But come, tell m…
  2. We must keep them to the fact that the duty is one and three quarter farthings, or nearly a half-penny in the pound and no more, and any one who tries to work it out any other way is not acting fairly in the matter.

Etymology

From Middle English ferthing, from Old English fēorþing, fēorþung (“a quarter, fourth part, farthing”), from fēorþa (“fourth”), from Proto-Germanic *fedurþungaz (“a quarter”), probably influenced by Old Norse fjórðungr (“a fourth part, quarter”). Equivalent to fourth + -ing; compare English riding (“third part”).

This word in other languages

farthing(Français)Groschen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afrthing
  • farhting
  • farrthing
  • farthhing
  • farthign
  • farthingg
  • farthinng
  • farthnig
  • fartihng
  • fartthing
  • fatrhing
  • ffarthing
  • frathing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afrthing2farhting2farrthing1farthhing1farthign2farthingg1farthinng1farthnig2
Edit distance from "farthing"

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 "farthing"?
"farthing" is spelled F-A-R-T-H-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɑː(ɹ).ðɪŋ/.
What does "farthing" mean?
As a noun, "farthing" means: A quarter of any monetary unit or measure.
What words are commonly confused with "farthing"?
"farthing" is commonly confused with "fasting", "farting", "faring". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "farthing"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "farthing" is /ˈfɑː(ɹ).ðɪŋ/. 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 "farthing"?
From Middle English ferthing, from Old English fēorþing, fēorþung (“a quarter, fourth part, farthing”), from fēorþa (“fourth”), from Proto-Germanic *fedurþungaz (“a quarter”), probably influenced by Old Norse fjórðungr (“a fourth part, quarter”). ... 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 "farthing", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

feigning#45,925Fabrizio#45,917finality#45,930Flatbush#45,931

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Esperanto13 variantsfoldable13 variantsglycerin13 variantsdrawdown13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list