fed

/fɛd/

//fɛd// noun

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

"fed" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fed” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #2,946) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#2,946
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A federal government officer or official.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fed · fed · English

fed · rank #2,946 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,946
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH exposed

Nearest frequency peer: exposed (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “fed”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “fed” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

fed vs fi
33% similar
fed vs FL
0% similar
fed vs FM
0% similar

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

Key facts for fed
PropertyValue
Headwordfed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɛd/
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,946
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “fed”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).fedlands 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 “exposed” (#2,945), “fee” (#2,947), “exact” (#2,944). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fed” is #2,946. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for fed is neighbouring look-alikes ("fi", "FL", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /fɛd/. Frequency #2,946 among 2,507 “F” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Zero misspellings are on record for fed in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fi", "FL", "FM", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of federal. The correct English form is fed, spelled F-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A federal government officer or official.
  2. 2
    A police officer.
  3. 3
    The Canadian federal government.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That corrupt fed was caught taking bribes from a mobster!
  2. A person is saying that the protester shot in the head by the feds with non lethals is in the hospital, doctors saying they don’t think they will make it. Holy fuck, I’m speechless.

Etymology

Clipping of federal.

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 "fed"?
"fed" is spelled F-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /fɛd/.
What does "fed" mean?
As a noun, "fed" means: A federal government officer or official.
What words are commonly confused with "fed"?
"fed" is commonly confused with "fi", "FL", "FM". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fed" is /fɛd/. 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 "fed"?
Clipping of federal. 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 "fed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fee#2,947Jan#2,949dan#2,938cap#2,929

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list