feces

/ˈfiːsiːz/

//ˈfiːsiːz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“feces” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,795. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,795
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Digested waste material (typically solid or semi-solid) discharged from a human or other mammal's stomach to the intestines; excrement.

Corpus desk

Index EN-feces · feces · English

feces · rank #21,795 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,795
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Federer

Nearest frequency peer: Federer (+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 “feces”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “feces” 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).

feces vs fee
60% similar
feces vs FES
0% similar
feces vs feel
60% similar

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

Key facts for feces
PropertyValue
Headwordfeces
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfiːsiːz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#21,795
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “feces”

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).feceslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Federer” (#21,796), “Farage” (#21,793), “familial” (#21,792). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “feces” is #21,795. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around feces (IPA /ˈfiːsiːz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,795 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Digested waste material (typically solid or semi-solid) discharged from a human or other mammal's stomach to the intestines; excrement.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for feces, with forms such as "efces", "fcees", and "fecces". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fee", "FES", "feel", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin faecēs, nominative plural of faex (“residue, dregs”), further origin unknown; possibly borrowed from a substrate language. The correct English form is feces, spelled F-E-C-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Digested waste material (typically solid or semi-solid) discharged from a human or other mammal's stomach to the intestines; excrement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. We are also extracting DNA, both from blood collected during immobilizations and from hyena feces.

Etymology

From Latin faecēs, nominative plural of faex (“residue, dregs”), further origin unknown; possibly borrowed from a substrate language.

Synonyms

dungexcrementdroppingsfaecal mattercacaspoormanureguanonight soilnumber twodoopoopoopboo-boodoo-doodookie and doodycrapshitturdlogboom-boomcackchocolatechocolate hot dogcruddannadejectiondirtdo dodoodydookdookiedookydumpdumplingsEarthaEartha Kittfaecesfaexfecal matterfecesflopfudgegongishjobbymerdmucknatureordurepoohpoopiepoo-poopoopypurepurgingscatsharnshitesoilstoolthosttom titwaste

This word in other languages

heces(Español)fèces(Français)Fäkalien(Deutsch)fezes(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • efces
  • fcees
  • fecces
  • fecess
  • fecse
  • feecs
  • ffeces

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

efces2fcees2fecces1fecess1fecse2feecs2ffeces1
Edit distance from "feces"

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 "feces"?
"feces" is spelled F-E-C-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfiːsiːz/.
What does "feces" mean?
As a noun, "feces" means: Digested waste material (typically solid or semi-solid) discharged from a human or other mammal's stomach to the intestines; excrement.
What words are commonly confused with "feces"?
"feces" is commonly confused with "fee", "FES", "feel". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "feces"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "feces" is /ˈfiːsiːz/. 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 "feces"?
From Latin faecēs, nominative plural of faex (“residue, dregs”), further origin unknown; possibly borrowed from a substrate language. 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 "feces", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

giddy#21,809Hamid#21,816Hanks#21,818dares#21,771

Similar misspelling depth

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

galley7 variantsHeinz7 variantsCtrl7 variantsKimmel7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list