fatso

/ˈfæ.t͡soʊ/

//ˈfæ.t͡soʊ// noun

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

The verdict

“fatso” is uncommon English (frequency #80,445 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,445
frequency rank, English
18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone who is overweight.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fatso · fatso · English

fatso · rank #80,445 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,445
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 18,613
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fede

Nearest frequency peer: Fede (+2 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 neighbourhood for “fatso”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “fatso” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for fatso
PropertyValue
Headwordfatso
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfæ.t͡soʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#80,445
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fatso” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). fatso lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fatso is uncommon English at frequency #80,445 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfæ.t͡soʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Someone who is overweight.".

fatso doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From fats + -o. The correct English form is fatso, spelled F-A-T-S-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who is overweight.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He went to the upstairs lookout and peered down upon the political bod, whom he recognised as the fatso who had given a thin, starving speech one lunch-time to the new High School students[.]

Etymology

From fats + -o.

This word in other languages

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fatso"?
"fatso" is spelled F-A-T-S-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfæ.t͡soʊ/.
What does "fatso" mean?
As a noun, "fatso" means: Someone who is overweight.
How do you pronounce "fatso"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fatso" is /ˈfæ.t͡soʊ/. 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 "fatso"?
From fats + -o. 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 "fatso", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list