fatality

/feɪˈtælɪti/

//feɪˈtælɪti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fatality” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,537. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,537
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state proceeding from destiny; invincible necessity, superior to, and independent of, free and rational control.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fatality · fatality · English

fatality · rank #23,537 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,537
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Farah

Nearest frequency peer: Farah (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “fatality”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fatality” 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).

fatality vs fatally
75% similar
fatality vs futility
75% similar
fatality vs finality
75% similar

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

Key facts for fatality
PropertyValue
Headwordfatality
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/feɪˈtælɪti/
Letters8
Frequency rank#23,537
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fatality”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).fatalitylands 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 “Farah” (#23,536), “favoring” (#23,538), “fable” (#23,535). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fatality” is #23,537. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around fatality (IPA /feɪˈtælɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,537 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for fatality, with forms such as "aftality", "faatlity", and "fatailty". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "fatally", "futility", "finality", 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 French fatalité. equivalent to fatal + -ity. The video game move sense was popularized by the Mortal Kombat series. The correct English form is fatality, spelled F-A-T-A-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state proceeding from destiny; invincible necessity, superior to, and independent of, free and rational control.
  2. 2
    Tendency to death, destruction or danger, as if by decree of fate.
  3. 3
    That which is decreed by fate or which is fatal; a fatal event.
  4. 4
    Death.
  5. 5
    An accident that causes death.
  6. 6
    A person killed.
  7. 7
    A move used to deliver a coup de grâce to a defeated opponent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. What can I say, or think of this most terrible of fatalities?
  2. the whole thing felt like being in a near traffic fatality avoided by inches and later not being able to think of the whole thing lest you begin shaking...

Etymology

From French fatalité. equivalent to fatal + -ity. The video game move sense was popularized by the Mortal Kombat series.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aftality
  • faatlity
  • fatailty
  • fatalitty
  • fatalityy
  • fataliyt
  • fatallity
  • fataltiy
  • fatlaity
  • fattality
  • ffatality
  • ftaality

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fatality - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

aftality2faatlity2fatailty2fatalitty1fatalityy1fataliyt2fatallity1fataltiy2
Edit distance from "fatality"

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 "fatality"?
"fatality" is spelled F-A-T-A-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /feɪˈtælɪti/.
What does "fatality" mean?
As a noun, "fatality" means: The state proceeding from destiny; invincible necessity, superior to, and independent of, free and rational control.
What words are commonly confused with "fatality"?
"fatality" is commonly confused with "fatally", "futility", "finality". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fatality"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fatality" is /feɪˈtælɪti/. 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 "fatality"?
From French fatalité. equivalent to fatal + -ity. The video game move sense was popularized by the Mortal Kombat series. 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 "fatality", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

favoring#23,538eyeliner#23,534firewood#23,541forsaken#23,544

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

foothills12 variantsepiphany12 variantsincision12 variantsletterman12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list