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feeder

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "feeder", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "feeder" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "feeder" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

feeder is aEnglishnoun. It means: One who feeds, or gives food to another. Pronounced /ˈfidɚ/. Often confused with fewer and fever.

Key facts for feeder
PropertyValue
Headwordfeeder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfidɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,815
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of feeder in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for feeder is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfidɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,815 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 16 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for feeder, with forms such as "efeder", "fedeer", and "feder". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "fewer", "fever", "freer", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English feedere, federe, fedare, equivalent to feed + -er. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is feeder, spelled F-E-E-D-E-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who feeds, or gives food to another.
  2. 2
    One who feeds, or gives food to another.
  3. 3
    One who feeds, or takes in food.
  4. 4
    One who, or that which, feeds material into something (especially a machine).
  5. 5
    That which is used to feed.
  6. 6
    A tributary stream, especially of a canal.
  7. 7
    A branch line of a railway.
  8. 8
    A transmission line that feeds the electricity for an electricity substation, or for a transmitter.
  9. 9
    Ellipsis of feeder school.
  10. 10
    A feeder ship.
  11. 11
    A judge whose law clerks are often selected to become clerks for the Supreme Court.
  12. 12
    The pitcher.
  13. 13
    A player whose character is killed by the opposing player or team more than once, deliberately or through lack of skills and experience, thus helping the opposing side.
  14. 14
    One who abets another.
  15. 15
    A parasite.
  16. 16
    Synonym of blower (“fissure from which firedamp issues”).

Etymology

From Middle English feedere, federe, fedare, equivalent to feed + -er.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: efeder,fedeer,feder,feedder,feederr,feedre,feeedr,ffeeder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for feeder

Misspelling Variants of "feeder"

efeder6fedeer6feder5feedder7feederr7feedre6feeedr6ffeeder7
Misspelling Variants of "feeder"

Frequency rank: #15,815 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "feeder"?
"feeder" is spelled F-E-E-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfidɚ/.
What does "feeder" mean?
As a noun, "feeder" means: One who feeds, or gives food to another.
What words are commonly confused with "feeder"?
"feeder" is commonly confused with "fewer", "fever", "freer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "feeder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "feeder" is /ˈfidɚ/. 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 "feeder"?
From Middle English feedere, federe, fedare, equivalent to feed + -er. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter F in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.