fell
/fɛl/verb, noun, adjective, adverb
fell is spelled F-E-L-L: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 71 times per million words in written English, the 1,486th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, fell means “To make something fall; especially a tree” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fell?
| Letters | 4: F-E-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 71 times per million words; the 1,486th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fell?
Fell appears 71 times per million words in written English, the 1,486th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce fell?
- US /fɛl/
- Australia /fel/
Fell has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-fell.wav, En-us-fell.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fell?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fell from its last stressed vowel (/ɛl/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of fell
- fells present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- felling participle, present
- felled participle, past
- feller comparative
- fellest superlative
- more fell comparative
- most fell superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fell mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make something fall; especially a tree.
- 2
To strike down, kill, destroy.
- 3
To stitch down a protruding flap of fabric, as a seam allowance, or pleat.
- 4
simple past of fall
- 5
colloquialpast participle of fall
noun
- 1
A cutting-down of timber.
- 2
The stitching down of a fold of cloth; specifically, the portion of a kilt, from the waist to the seat, where the pleats are stitched down.
- 3
The end of a web, formed by the last thread of the weft.
- 4
archaicrareSkin, hide, pelt.
- 5
A covering of hair, wool, etc., especially when matted or thick; a fleece; also (chiefly in fell of hair), a thick head or mass of hair.
- 6
High and barren landscape feature such as a mountain range or mountain terrain above the tree line.
- 7
ScotlandA rocky ridge or chain of mountains, particularly in the British Isles or Fennoscandia.
- 8
ScotlandA wild field or upland moor.
- 9
The finer portions of ore, which go through the meshes when the ore is sorted by sifting.
- 10
obsoleterareAnger; gall; melancholy.
adjective
- 1
Of a strong and cruel nature; eager and unsparing; grim; fierce; ruthless; savage.
one fell swoop
- 2
ScotlandUKStrong and fiery; biting; keen; sharp; pungent
- 3
ScotlandUKVery large; huge.
- 4
obsoleteEager; earnest; intent.
adverb
- 1
Sharply; fiercely.
noun
- 1
Ellipsis of Fell pony.
- 2
Ellipsis of Fell mountain railway system, named after John Barraclough Fell.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fell in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to make something fall:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does fell come from?
From Middle English fellen, from Old English fellan, fiellan (“to cause to fall, strike down, fell, cut down, throw down, defeat, destroy, kill, tumble, cause to stumble”), from Proto-West Germanic *fallijan, from Proto-Germanic *fallijaną (“to fell, to cause to fall”), causative of Proto-Germanic *fallaną (“to fall”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂peh₃lH-.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).