# fate

> English word · Noun · IPA /feɪt/ · frequency rank #3,880

## Definitions
1. The presumed cause, force, principle, or divine will that predetermines events.
2. The effect, consequence, outcome, or inevitable events predetermined by this cause.
3. An event or a situation which is inevitable in the fullness of time.
4. Destiny; often with a connotation of death, ruin, misfortune, etc.
5. Alternative letter-case form of Fate (one of the goddesses said to control the destiny of human beings).
6. The products of a chemical reaction in their final form in the biosphere.
7. The mature endpoint of a region, group of cells or individual cell in an embryo, including all changes leading to that mature endpoint

## Etymology
From Middle English fate, from Latin fāta (“prediction”), plural of fātum, from fātus (“spoken”), from for (“to speak”). In this sense, displaced native Old English wyrd, whence Modern English weird.

## Easily confused with
- **Fe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fe)
- **fit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fit)
- **fee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fee)
- **fax** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fax)
- **foe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-foe)
- **fay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fay)
- **FTC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-ftc)
- **FTP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-ftp)
- **FTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fta)
- **FTW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-ftw)
- **FET** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fet)
- **FTL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-ftl)
- **FTE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fte)
- **fut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fut)
- **fie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fie)
- **free** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-free)
- **five** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-five)
- **fire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fire)
- **fine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-fine)
- **file** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fate-vs-file)

## Common misspellings (5)
`afte`, `faet`, `fatte`, `ffate`, `ftae`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fate