Fates

/feɪts/

//feɪts// name

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

"fates" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Fates” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,966. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,966
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis; supernatural beings who controlled the destiny of men and of the gods.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fates · Fates · English

Fates · rank #22,966 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,966
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH facet

Nearest frequency peer: facet (-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 “Fates”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Fates” 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).

Fates vs FES
20% similar
Fates vs FTE
20% similar
Fates vs fees
40% similar

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

Key facts for Fates
PropertyValue
HeadwordFates
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/feɪts/
Letters5
Frequency rank#22,966
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Fates”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Fateslands 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 “facet” (#22,965), “FEI” (#22,967), “exploratory” (#22,964). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “Fates” is #22,966. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Fates (IPA /feɪts/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #22,966 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis; supernatural beings who controlled the destiny of men and of the gods.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Fates, with forms such as "aftes", "faets", and "fatess". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FES", "FTE", "fees", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Plural of fate. The correct English form is Fates, spelled F-A-T-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis; supernatural beings who controlled the destiny of men and of the gods.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Oh, no!" said he, with a most imperturbable air, "I always make allowance for feminine weakness; I do not expect your mind to follow mine!" "Now, the Fates forbid that it should!" thought Henrietta.
  2. 1944, Ralph Blane, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, Meet Me in St. Louis, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Through the years we all will be together / If the Fates allow

Etymology

Plural of fate.

Synonyms

MoiraeParcaeSudice

This word in other languages

Moires(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aftes
  • faets
  • fatess
  • fatse
  • fattes
  • ffates
  • ftaes

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Fates - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

aftes2faets2fatess1fatse2fattes1ffates1ftaes2
Edit distance from "Fates"

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 "Fates"?
"Fates" is spelled F-A-T-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /feɪts/.
What does "Fates" mean?
As a proper noun, "Fates" means: Atropos, Clotho, and Lachesis; supernatural beings who controlled the destiny of men and of the gods.
What words are commonly confused with "Fates"?
"Fates" is commonly confused with "FES", "FTE", "fees". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Fates"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Fates" is /feɪts/. 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 "Fates"?
Plural of fate. 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 "Fates", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

facet#22,965firth#22,972floss#22,974frees#22,978

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

cowan7 variantsconte7 variantscodex7 variantsCahill7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list