fellow

/ˈfɛləʊ/

//ˈfɛləʊ// noun

"fellow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fellow” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,791. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,791
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A companion; a comrade.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fellow · fellow · English

fellow · rank #1,791 · 7 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,791
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH easier

Nearest frequency peer: easier (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “fellow”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “fellow” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

fellow vs flow
67% similar
fellow vs felon
67% similar
fellow vs Fells
50% similar

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

Key facts for fellow
PropertyValue
Headwordfellow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛləʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,791
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fellow” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).fellowlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “easier” (#1,790), “Florida” (#1,792), “dress” (#1,789). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around fellow (IPA /ˈfɛləʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,791 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 31 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for fellow, with forms such as "efllow", "felloww", and "fellwo". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "flow", "felon", "Fells", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English felowe, Early Middle English felage (“companion, good friend”) from Old English fēolaga, from Old Norse félagi, derived from félag (“joint venture; partnership”, literally “a laying together of property”), from fé (“livestock, property; … The correct English form is fellow, spelled F-E-L-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A companion; a comrade.
  2. 2
    An animal which is a member of a breed or species, or a flock, herd, etc.
  3. 3
    An object which is associated with another object; especially, as part of a set.
  4. 4
    A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
  5. 5
    A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
  6. 6
    A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
  7. 7
    A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
  8. 8
    A person or thing comparable in characteristics with another person or thing; especially, as belonging to the same class or group.
  9. 9
    Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
  10. 10
    Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
  11. 11
    Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
  12. 12
    Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
  13. 13
    Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
  14. 14
    Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
  15. 15
    Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
  16. 16
    Often in the form Fellow: academic senses.
  17. 17
    A male person; a bloke, a chap, a guy, a man; also, preceded by a modifying word, sometimes with a sense of mild reproach: used as a familiar term of address to a man.
  18. 18
    Usually qualified by an adjective or used in the plural: an individual or person regardless of gender.
  19. 19
    An animal or object.
  20. 20
    One of a pair of things suited to each other or used together; a counterpart, a mate.
  21. 21
    One of a pair of things suited to each other or used together; a counterpart, a mate.
  22. 22
    Alternative form of fella (“used as a general intensifier”)
  23. 23
    A colleague or partner.
  24. 24
    A colleague or partner.
  25. 25
    A close companion or friend; also, a companion or friend whom one eats or drinks with.
  26. 26
    Followed by of: one who participates in an activity; a participant.
  27. 27
    A man without good breeding or of lower social status; a common or ignoble man; also, used as a polite term of address to such a person.
  28. 28
    A person's servant or slave.
  29. 29
    A worthless person; a churl, a knave; also, used as a term of address to a person regarded as such.
  30. 30
    Synonym of schoolmate (“a student at the same school”).
  31. 31
    A black man.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But now vnderſtand you, that the kingdome of God is communicated vntoo you by our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, bycauſe he hath purchaced it for you, and made you his brethren and fellowes.
  2. [W]e are Fellovves ſtill, / Seruing alike in ſorrovv: […]

Etymology

From Middle English felowe, Early Middle English felage (“companion, good friend”) from Old English fēolaga, from Old Norse félagi, derived from félag (“joint venture; partnership”, literally “a laying together of property”), from fé (“livestock, property; money”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“livestock; wealth”)) + lag (“something laid down; right position; arrangement; companionship, fellowship; partnership”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie down”)). Cognates * Old Norse filaga, felaka (“partner”, accusative singular), from which the other terms are derived: * Danish fælle (“companion”) * Faroese felagi (“member; partner”) * Icelandic félagi (“companion, comrade, fellow; member; partner”) * Norwegian felle (“companion”) * Old Swedish fälaghi (modern Swedish felaga, felaha (“partner”, accusative singular)) * Scots falow, fallow, follow (“associate, companion, comrade”)

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • efllow
  • felloww
  • fellwo
  • felolw
  • felow
  • ffellow
  • flelow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

efllow2felloww1fellwo2felolw2felow1ffellow1flelow2
Edit distance from "fellow"

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 "fellow"?
"fellow" is spelled F-E-L-L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛləʊ/.
What does "fellow" mean?
As a noun, "fellow" means: A companion; a comrade.
What words are commonly confused with "fellow"?
"fellow" is commonly confused with "flow", "felon", "Fells". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fellow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fellow" is /ˈfɛləʊ/. 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 "fellow"?
From Middle English felowe, Early Middle English felage (“companion, good friend”) from Old English fēolaga, from Old Norse félagi, derived from félag (“joint venture; partnership”, literally “a laying together of property”), from fé (“livestock, ... 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 "fellow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "fellow". Here's where to go from here.

  • "fellow" maps to 12 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "flow". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,791 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list