favor

/ˈfeɪ.və/

//ˈfeɪ.və// noun

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

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

The verdict

“favor” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,576. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,576
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).

Corpus desk

Index EN-favor · favor · English

favor · rank #2,576 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,576
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH drawing

Nearest frequency peer: drawing (-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 “favor”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “favor” 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).

favor vs for
60% similar
favor vs flor
60% similar
favor vs floor
60% similar

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

Key facts for favor
PropertyValue
Headwordfavor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfeɪ.və/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,576
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “favor”

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).favorlands 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 “drawing” (#2,575), “flag” (#2,577), “definition” (#2,574). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “favor” is #2,576. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around favor (IPA /ˈfeɪ.və/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,576 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for favor, with forms such as "afvor", "faovr", and "favorr". 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, "for", "flor", "floor", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English favour, favor, faver, from Anglo-Norman favour, from mainland Old French favor, from Latin favor (“good will; kindness; partiality”), from faveō (“to be kind to”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂weh₁yeti (“to be favourable to”… The correct English form is favor, spelled F-A-V-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).
  2. 2
    Goodwill; benevolent regard.
  3. 3
    A small gift; a party favor.
  4. 4
    Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.
  5. 5
    The object of regard; person or thing favoured.
  6. 6
    Appearance; look; countenance; face.
  7. 7
    Partiality; bias
  8. 8
    A letter, a written communication.
  9. 9
    A resemblance, likeness.
  10. 10
    Anything worn publicly as a pledge of a woman's favor.
  11. 11
    A ribbon or similar small item that is worn as an adornment, especially in celebration of an event.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He did me a favor when he took the time to drive me home.
  2. She enjoyed the queen's favor.

Etymology

From Middle English favour, favor, faver, from Anglo-Norman favour, from mainland Old French favor, from Latin favor (“good will; kindness; partiality”), from faveō (“to be kind to”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂weh₁yeti (“to be favourable to”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to shine, glow light”). Respelled in American English to more closely match its Latin etymon. Compare also Danish favør (“favor”), Irish fabhar (“favor”), from the same Romance source.

Synonyms

aidhelplending a handtoken

Antonyms

discriminationdisfavorunfavorharmsabotage

This word in other languages

favor(Español)faveur(Français)Gefallen(Deutsch)favor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afvor
  • faovr
  • favorr
  • favro
  • favvor
  • ffavor
  • fvaor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afvor2faovr2favorr1favro2favvor1ffavor1fvaor2
Edit distance from "favor"

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 "favor"?
"favor" is spelled F-A-V-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfeɪ.və/.
What does "favor" mean?
As a noun, "favor" means: A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).
What words are commonly confused with "favor"?
"favor" is commonly confused with "for", "flor", "floor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "favor"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "favor" is /ˈfeɪ.və/. 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 "favor"?
From Middle English favour, favor, faver, from Anglo-Norman favour, from mainland Old French favor, from Latin favor (“good will; kindness; partiality”), from faveō (“to be kind to”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂weh₁yeti (“to be favo... 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 "favor", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

frame#2,578guest#2,579it'll#2,584admit#2,567

Similar misspelling depth

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

tools7 variantsSpain7 variantsrural7 variantsteeth7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list