feist
/faɪst/
"feist" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“feist” is an uncommon English word, ranked #73,176 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #73,176
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small, snappy, belligerent mixed-breed dog; a feist dog.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | feist |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /faɪst/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #73,176 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “feist” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for feist is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /faɪst/. Corpus data places it at rank #73,176 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for feist, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Earliest sense is “fart”, and later “stink” as abbreviation for fysting cur “stinking dog” (1520s). From Middle English fysten (mid-15th century), from Old English. Cognate with Middle Dutch veest and Dutch vijst. Possibly from Proto-Germanic *fistiz (“a fa… The correct English form is feist, spelled F-E-I-S-T.
Definition
- 1A small, snappy, belligerent mixed-breed dog; a feist dog.
- 2Feisty behavior.
- 3Silent (but pungent) flatulence.
Etymology
Earliest sense is “fart”, and later “stink” as abbreviation for fysting cur “stinking dog” (1520s). From Middle English fysten (mid-15th century), from Old English. Cognate with Middle Dutch veest and Dutch vijst. Possibly from Proto-Germanic *fistiz (“a fart”), presumably from Proto-Indo-European *pesd-, though this is disputed. One explanation for the association of farting with small dogs is given in an 1811 slang dictionary, which suggests that the dogs were blamed for farting, specifically defining fice as “a small windy escape backwards, more obvious to the nose than ears; frequently by old ladies charged on their lap-dogs.” Cognate terms include German Fist (“soft fart”), Danish fise (“to blow, to fart”) and Middle English askefise (“bellows”, literally “fire-blower, ash-blower”), from Old Norse; originally “a term of reproach among northern nations for an unwarlike fellow who stayed at home in the chimney corner”.
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
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Using “feist”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-E-I-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /faɪst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.