fat

/ˈfæt/

//ˈfæt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“fat” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #1,482) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#1,482
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Carrying more fat than usual on one's body; plump; not lean or thin.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fat · fat · English

fat · rank #1,482 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,482
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH exchange

Nearest frequency peer: exchange (-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 neighbours of confusable “fat”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “fat” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

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

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

Key facts for fat
PropertyValue
Headwordfat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfæt/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,482
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “fat”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).fatlands 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 “exchange” (#1,481), “fell” (#1,483), “eating” (#1,480). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fat” is #1,482. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for fat is neighbouring look-alikes ("fi", "FL", …), not just typos; it is anadjective pronounced /ˈfæt/. Frequency #1,482 among 2,507 “F” headwords. 16 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for fat, 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: From Middle English fat, from Old English fǣtt (“fatted, fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *faitid (“fatted”), originally the past participle of the verb *faitijan (“to make fat”), from *fait (“fat”). The correct English form is fat, spelled F-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Carrying more fat than usual on one's body; plump; not lean or thin.
  2. 2
    Thick; large.
  3. 3
    Bulbous; rotund.
  4. 4
    Bountiful.
  5. 5
    Oily; greasy; unctuous; rich (said of food).
  6. 6
    Exhibiting the qualities of a fat animal; coarse; heavy; gross; dull; stupid.
  7. 7
    Fertile; productive.
  8. 8
    Rich; producing a large income; desirable.
  9. 9
    Abounding in riches; affluent; fortunate.
  10. 10
    Of a character which enables the compositor to make large wages; said of matter containing blank, cuts, or many leads, etc.
  11. 11
    Being a shot in which the ground is struck before the ball.
  12. 12
    Of a role: significant; major; meaty.
  13. 13
    Being greatly or substantially such; real.
  14. 14
    Having a full or rich sound with strong bass and low-midrange presence.
  15. 15
    Carrying additional data or functionality.
  16. 16
    Alternative form of phat.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The fat man had problems going through the door.
  2. The fattest pig should yield the most meat.

Etymology

From Middle English fat, from Old English fǣtt (“fatted, fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *faitid (“fatted”), originally the past participle of the verb *faitijan (“to make fat”), from *fait (“fat”).

Synonyms

chubbychunkycorpulentlardyobeseoverweightplumpporkyrotundtubbywell-fedthickbountifulprosperous

Antonyms

Of sense: leanskinnyslenderslimthin

This word in other languages

gordo(Español)gros(Français)dick(Deutsch)gordo(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 "fat"?
"fat" is spelled F-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfæt/.
What does "fat" mean?
As an adjective, "fat" means: Carrying more fat than usual on one's body; plump; not lean or thin.
What words are commonly confused with "fat"?
"fat" 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 "fat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fat" is /ˈfæt/. 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 "fat"?
From Middle English fat, from Old English fǣtt (“fatted, fat”), from Proto-West Germanic *faitid (“fatted”), originally the past participle of the verb *faitijan (“to make fat”), from *fait (“fat”). 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 "fat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

App#1,445ran#1,437pop#1,435lie#1,530

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list