favourite

/ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/

//ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt// adj

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

"favourite" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“favourite” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,624. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,624
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.)

Corpus desk

Index EN-favourite · favourite · English

favourite · rank #2,624 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,624
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH em

Nearest frequency peer: em (-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 “favourite”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “favourite” 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).

favourite vs favorite
89% similar

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

Key facts for favourite
PropertyValue
Headwordfavourite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#2,624
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “favourite”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).favouritelands 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 “em” (#2,623), “fruit” (#2,625), “diet” (#2,622). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “favourite” is #2,624. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around favourite (IPA /ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,624 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for favourite, with forms such as "afvourite", "faovurite", and "favoruite". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "favorite", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested from the 1580s, borrowed from Middle French favorit, from Old French favorit or Italian favorito (“favoured, favourite”), past participle of Italian favorire (“to favor”), from favore, from Latin favor (“good will, favor”), from the verb faveō (“I … The correct English form is favourite, spelled F-A-V-O-U-R-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.)
  2. 2
    Liked, cherished.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This is my favourite day!
  2. I saw a hilariously funny movie with all of my favourite comedians in it.

Etymology

Attested from the 1580s, borrowed from Middle French favorit, from Old French favorit or Italian favorito (“favoured, favourite”), past participle of Italian favorire (“to favor”), from favore, from Latin favor (“good will, favor”), from the verb faveō (“I favour”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂weh₁yeti (“to be favourable to”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to shine, glow light”). Doublet of favori.

This word in other languages

favorito(Español)préféré(Français)Lieblings-(Deutsch)preferido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afvourite
  • faovurite
  • favoruite
  • favouirte
  • favouriet
  • favouritte
  • favourrite
  • favourtie
  • favuorite
  • favvourite
  • ffavourite
  • fvaourite

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

afvourite2faovurite2favoruite2favouirte2favouriet2favouritte1favourrite1favourtie2
Edit distance from "favourite"

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 "favourite"?
"favourite" is spelled F-A-V-O-U-R-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/.
What does "favourite" mean?
As an adjective, "favourite" means: Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.)
What words are commonly confused with "favourite"?
"favourite" is commonly confused with "favorite". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "favourite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "favourite" is /ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/. 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 "favourite"?
Attested from the 1580s, borrowed from Middle French favorit, from Old French favorit or Italian favorito (“favoured, favourite”), past participle of Italian favorire (“to favor”), from favore, from Latin favor (“good will, favor”), from the verb ... 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 "favourite", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

permanent#2,637programme#2,641represent#2,594depending#2,669

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

chemical12 variantscategory12 variantsrecovery12 variantsconsumer12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list