# felony

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfɛləni/ · frequency rank #10,047

## Definitions
1. A serious criminal offense, which, under United States federal law, is punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than one year or by the death penalty in the most serious offenses.

## Etymology
From Middle English felony, felonie, from Old French felonie (“evil, immoral deed”), from felon (“evildoer”). Ultimately of Proto-Germanic origin. More at felon. By surface analysis, felon + -y.

## Easily confused with
- **Felton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/felony-vs-felton)
- **felon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/felon-vs-felony)
- **feline** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/feline-vs-felony)

## Common misspellings (9)
`eflony`, `fellony`, `felnoy`, `felonny`, `felonyy`, `feloyn`, `feolny`, `ffelony`, `fleony`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/felony