feather

/ˈfɛð.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈfɛð.ə(ɹ)// noun

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

"feather" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“feather” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,379. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,379
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display.

Corpus desk

Index EN-feather · feather · English

feather · rank #11,379 · 10 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,379
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fallout

Nearest frequency peer: fallout (-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 “feather”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “feather” 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).

feather vs fester
71% similar
feather vs further
71% similar
feather vs flatter
71% similar

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

Key facts for feather
PropertyValue
Headwordfeather
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛð.ə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#11,379
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “feather”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).featherlands 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 “fallout” (#11,378), “figuring” (#11,380), “Exodus” (#11,376). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “feather” is #11,379. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around feather (IPA /ˈfɛð.ə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,379 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for feather, with forms such as "efather", "faether", and "feahter". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "fester", "further", "flatter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English feþer, from Old English feþer, from Proto-West Germanic *feþru, from Proto-Germanic *feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥ (“feather, wing”), from *peth₂- (“to fly”). Cognate with West Frisian fear (“feather”), Cimbrian bèdara, fòdara… The correct English form is feather, spelled F-E-A-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display.
  2. 2
    Long hair on the lower legs of a dog or horse, especially a draft horse, notably the Clydesdale breed. Narrowly only the rear hair.
  3. 3
    One of the fins or wings on the shaft of an arrow.
  4. 4
    A longitudinal strip projecting from an object to strengthen it, or to enter a channel in another object and thereby prevent displacement sideways or rotationally but permit motion lengthwise.
  5. 5
    Kind; nature; species (from the proverbial phrase "birds of a feather").
  6. 6
    One of the two shims of the three-piece stone-splitting tool known as plug and feather or plug and feathers; the feathers are placed in a borehole and then a wedge is driven between them, causing the stone to split.
  7. 7
    The angular adjustment of an oar or paddle-wheel float, with reference to a horizontal axis, as it leaves or enters the water.
  8. 8
    Anything petty or trifling; a whit or jot.
  9. 9
    Partridges and pheasants, as opposed to rabbits and hares (called fur).
  10. 10
    A junction indicator attached to a colour-light signal at an angle, which lights up, typically with four white lights in a row, when a diverging route is set up.
  11. 11
    A faint edge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Notice, too, that the shaft is not straight, but bent so that the upper surface of the feather is convex, and the lower concave.
  2. Big fellows they were, all of them, their barbaric headdresses and grotesquely painted faces, together with their many metal ornaments and gorgeously coloured feathers, adding to their wild, fierce appearance.

Etymology

From Middle English feþer, from Old English feþer, from Proto-West Germanic *feþru, from Proto-Germanic *feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥ (“feather, wing”), from *peth₂- (“to fly”). Cognate with West Frisian fear (“feather”), Cimbrian bèdara, fòdara (“pillowcase”), vèdara (“feather”), Dutch veder, veer (“feather”), German Feder (“feather”), German Low German Fedder (“feather”), Luxembourgish Fieder (“feather”), Vilamovian faoder (“feather”), Yiddish פֿעדער (feder, “feather”), Danish fjeder, fjer (“feather”), Faroese fjøður (“feather”), Icelandic fjöður (“feather”), Norwegian Bokmål fjær, fjør (“feather”), Norwegian Nynorsk fjøder, fjør (“feather”), Swedish fjäder (“feather”). Also Ancient Greek πέτομαι (pétomai, “to fly”), Albanian shpend (“bird”), Latin penna (“feather”), Old Armenian թիռ (tʻiṙ, “flight”). The sense correlated with splines and keys (noun sense 4) probably reflects analogy with the fletching sense (noun sense 3).

Synonyms

plumepluma

This word in other languages

pluma(Español)plume(Français)Feder(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • efather
  • faether
  • feahter
  • featehr
  • featherr
  • feathher
  • feathre
  • featther
  • fetaher
  • ffeather

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

efather2faether2feahter2featehr2featherr1feathher1feathre2featther1
Edit distance from "feather"

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 "feather"?
"feather" is spelled F-E-A-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛð.ə(ɹ)/.
What does "feather" mean?
As a noun, "feather" means: A branching, hair-like structure that grows on the bodies of birds, used for flight, swimming, protection and display.
What words are commonly confused with "feather"?
"feather" is commonly confused with "fester", "further", "flatter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "feather"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "feather" is /ˈfɛð.ə(ɹ)/. 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 "feather"?
From Middle English feþer, from Old English feþer, from Proto-West Germanic *feþru, from Proto-Germanic *feþrō, from Proto-Indo-European *péth₂r̥ (“feather, wing”), from *peth₂- (“to fly”). Cognate with West Frisian fear (“feather”), Cimbrian bèda... 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 "feather", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fallout#11,378firearm#11,382drained#11,371Daniels#11,366

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

insured10 variantscoaster10 variantslastly10 variantspersona10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list