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PlainSpell

favourite

/ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/adjective, noun, verb

favourite is spelled F-A-V-O-U-R-I-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 37 times per million words in written English, the 2,618th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “favorite vs favourite” about 1,600 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, favourite means “Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in favourite?

Letters9: F-A-V-O-U-R-I-T-E
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing37 times per million words; the 2,618th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).

How common is favourite?

Favourite appears 37 times per million words in written English, the 2,618th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce favourite?

  • /ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/

Favourite has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-favourite.ogg, EN-AU_ck1_favourite.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with favourite

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

favorite vs favourite1,600 G

Also written: favorite.

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Forms of favourite

  • more favourite comparative
  • most favourite superlative
  • favouritemost superlative
  • favorite US
  • favourites plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • favouriting participle, present
  • favourited participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does favourite mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    CommonwealthIrelandUKMost-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.)

    This is my favourite day!

  2. 2

    CommonwealthIrelandUKLiked, cherished.

noun

  1. 1

    CommonwealthIrelandUKA person or thing who enjoys special regard or favour.

    The teacher's favourite always went first.

  2. 2

    CommonwealthIrelandUKA person who is preferred or trusted above all others.

  3. 3

    CommonwealthIrelandUKA contestant or competitor thought most likely to win.

    You were my favourite to win the spelling competition.

  4. 4

    CommonwealthIrelandUKA bookmark on a web browser or website.

  5. 5

    CommonwealthIrelandUKA short curl dangling over the temples, fashionable in the reign of Charles II.

verb

  1. 1

    CommonwealthIrelandUKTo favour.

  2. 2

    CommonwealthIrelandUKTo bookmark.

  3. 3

    CommonwealthIrelandUKTo add to one's list of favourite items on a website that allows users to compile such lists.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Favourite in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchpréféré, favori (preferred)
GermanLieblings-, liebster, bevorzugter (preferred), Liebling, Favorit (person who enjoys special regard or favour)
Portuguesefavorito, preferido, predileto (preferred), favoritar (to add to favourites)
Spanishfavorito, preferido, predilecto, ganchito (preferred)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does favourite come from?

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 (“to 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.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after favourite