fateful

/ˈfeɪtfəl/

//ˈfeɪtfəl// adj

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

"fateful" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fateful” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,785. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,785
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Momentous, significant, setting or sealing one’s fate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fateful · fateful · English

fateful · rank #26,785 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #26,785
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH farthest

Nearest frequency peer: farthest (-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 “fateful”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fateful” 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).

fateful vs faithful
75% similar

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

Key facts for fateful
PropertyValue
Headwordfateful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfeɪtfəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#26,785
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fateful”

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).fatefullands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “farthest” (#26,784), “fatter” (#26,786), “fedora” (#26,787). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fateful” is #26,785. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around fateful (IPA /ˈfeɪtfəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #26,785 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for fateful, with forms such as "afteful", "faetful", and "fatefful". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "faithful", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From fate + -ful. The correct English form is fateful, spelled F-A-T-E-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Momentous, significant, setting or sealing one’s fate.
  2. 2
    Determined in advance by fate, fated.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It started with that fateful trip, history was never the same afterwards.

Etymology

From fate + -ful.

This word in other languages

funesto(Español)décisif(Français)schicksalhaft(Deutsch)fatídico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afteful
  • faetful
  • fatefful
  • fateflu
  • fatefull
  • fateufl
  • fatfeul
  • fatteful
  • ffateful
  • ftaeful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afteful2faetful2fatefful1fateflu2fatefull1fateufl2fatfeul2fatteful1
Edit distance from "fateful"

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 "fateful"?
"fateful" is spelled F-A-T-E-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfeɪtfəl/.
What does "fateful" mean?
As an adjective, "fateful" means: Momentous, significant, setting or sealing one’s fate.
What words are commonly confused with "fateful"?
"fateful" is commonly confused with "faithful". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fateful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fateful" is /ˈfeɪtfəl/. 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 "fateful"?
From fate + -ful. 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 "fateful", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Fillers#26,790flutter#26,795dribble#26,766Dreyfus#26,765

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

hepatic10 variantsdialing10 variantsHoboken10 variantsinnocuous10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list