fave

/feɪv/

//feɪv// adj

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

"fave" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fave” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,156. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,156
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Favorite (US) or favourite (UK).

Corpus desk

Index EN-fave · fave · English

fave · rank #24,156 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,156
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH eyeshadow

Nearest frequency peer: eyeshadow (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “fave”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fave” 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).

fave vs Fe
25% similar
fave vs fee
50% similar
fave vs fax
50% similar

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

Key facts for fave
PropertyValue
Headwordfave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/feɪv/
Letters4
Frequency rank#24,156
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fave”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).favelands 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 “eyeshadow” (#24,154), “finisher” (#24,158), “ere” (#24,153). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fave” is #24,156. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around fave (IPA /feɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #24,156 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Favorite (US) or favourite (UK).".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for fave, with forms such as "afve", "faev", and "favve". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Fe", "fee", "fax", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From favorite or favourite, by shortening. The correct English form is fave, spelled F-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Favorite (US) or favourite (UK).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At stlmag.com this month Select articles from this issue An editors' podcast A Google Map of our Best Dressed winners' fave shops
  2. “She's entered the privacy phase. The rebellion has started, Jenny. Violet is lost to us!” “Oh, don't be so dramatic. She's still our little girl. Watch this. Vi, 90-Day Beyoncé is coming on. Fave garbage-y reality show. Want to watch ironically... while I watch unironically?” “Nope, bye.” “See?”

Etymology

From favorite or favourite, by shortening.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afve
  • faev
  • favve
  • ffave
  • fvae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fave - 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.

afve2faev2favve1ffave1fvae2
Edit distance from "fave"

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 "fave"?
"fave" is spelled F-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /feɪv/.
What does "fave" mean?
As an adjective, "fave" means: Favorite (US) or favourite (UK).
What words are commonly confused with "fave"?
"fave" is commonly confused with "Fe", "fee", "fax". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fave" is /feɪv/. 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 "fave"?
From favorite or favourite, by shortening. 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 "fave", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

doth#24,145diss#24,144cram#24,128hazy#24,184

Similar misspelling depth

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

Bern5 variantsZane5 variantswilled5 variantsOleg5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list