feel

/fiːl/

//fiːl// verb

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

"feel" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“feel” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #201. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#201
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To use or experience the sense of touch.

Corpus desk

Index EN-feel · feel · English

feel · rank #201 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #201
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH big

Nearest frequency peer: big (-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 “feel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “feel” 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).

feel vs FL
0% similar
feel vs few
50% similar
feel vs foe
50% similar

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

Key facts for feel
PropertyValue
Headwordfeel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/fiːl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#201
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “feel”

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).feellands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “big” (#200), “sure” (#202), “show” (#199). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “feel” is #201. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around feel (IPA /fiːl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #201 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for feel, with forms such as "efel", "feell", and "fel". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FL", "few", "foe", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English felen, from Old English fēlan, from Proto-West Germanic *fōlijan. The correct English form is feel, spelled F-E-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To use or experience the sense of touch.
  2. 2
    To use or experience the sense of touch.
  3. 3
    To use or experience the sense of touch.
  4. 4
    To use or experience the sense of touch.
  5. 5
    To sense or think emotionally or judgmentally.
  6. 6
    To sense or think emotionally or judgmentally.
  7. 7
    To sense or think emotionally or judgmentally.
  8. 8
    To sense or think emotionally or judgmentally.
  9. 9
    To be or become aware of.
  10. 10
    To experience the consequences of.
  11. 11
    To seem (through touch or otherwise).
  12. 12
    To understand.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You can feel a heartbeat if you put your fingers on your breast.
  2. I felt cold and miserable all night.

Etymology

From Middle English felen, from Old English fēlan, from Proto-West Germanic *fōlijan.

Synonyms

feelgropehandletouch

Antonyms

misfeel

This word in other languages

sentir(Español)palper(Français)spüren(Deutsch)apalpar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • efel
  • feell
  • fel
  • fele
  • ffeel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of feel - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

efel2feell1fel1fele2ffeel1
Edit distance from "feel"

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 "feel"?
"feel" is spelled F-E-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /fiːl/.
What does "feel" mean?
As a verb, "feel" means: To use or experience the sense of touch.
What words are commonly confused with "feel"?
"feel" is commonly confused with "FL", "few", "foe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "feel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "feel" is /fiːl/. 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 "feel"?
From Middle English felen, from Old English fēlan, from Proto-West Germanic *fōlijan. 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 "feel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sure#202show#199team#203ever#204

Similar misspelling depth

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

keep5 variantsfree5 variantseach5 variantsaway5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list