feist

/faɪst/

//faɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“feist” is uncommon English (frequency #73,176 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,176
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small, snappy, belligerent mixed-breed dog; a feist dog.

Corpus desk

Index EN-feist · feist · English

feist · rank #73,176 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,176
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Faversham

Nearest frequency peer: Faversham (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “feist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “feist” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for feist
PropertyValue
Headwordfeist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/faɪst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#73,176
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “feist” in English

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).feistfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Faversham” (#73,174), “ferruginous” (#73,178), “ferryman” (#73,179). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “feist” is #73,176. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

feist is uncommon English at frequency #73,176 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /faɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

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

  1. 1
    A small, snappy, belligerent mixed-breed dog; a feist dog.
  2. 2
    Feisty behavior.
  3. 3
    Silent (but pungent) flatulence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Sultry Joan Collins says she likes her men feisty and her beau Peter Holm is full of feist.
  2. She looked at him, all eagerness and trust, full of feist and fun, unlike any woman he'd met before. After only a few hours, he felt as if he'd known her forever.

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

How do you spell "feist"?
"feist" is spelled F-E-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /faɪst/.
What does "feist" mean?
As a noun, "feist" means: A small, snappy, belligerent mixed-breed dog; a feist dog.
How do you pronounce "feist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "feist" is /faɪst/. 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 "feist"?
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 *fis... 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 "feist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

flowy#73,191freon#73,203divvy#73,133Davin#73,109

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list