fencer

/ˈfɛnsə/

//ˈfɛnsə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fencer” is uncommon English (frequency #60,081 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,081
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A participant in the sport of fencing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fencer · fencer · English

fencer · rank #60,081 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,081
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH famished

Nearest frequency peer: famished (-3 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 “fencer”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fencer
PropertyValue
Headwordfencer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛnsə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#60,081
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fencer” in English

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).fencerfalls 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: “famished” (#60,078), “Finlayson” (#60,084), “fairyland” (#60,077). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fencer” is #60,081. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fencer is uncommon English at frequency #60,081 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfɛnsə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

fencer has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From fence + -er. The correct English form is fencer, spelled F-E-N-C-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A participant in the sport of fencing.
  2. 2
    A person who makes, installs, repairs, or maintains fences.
  3. 3
    A person who purchases stolen goods or property from another thief.

Etymology

From fence + -er.

This word in other languages

esgrimidor(Español)escrimeur(Français)Fechter(Deutsch)

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 "fencer"?
"fencer" is spelled F-E-N-C-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛnsə/.
What does "fencer" mean?
As a noun, "fencer" means: A participant in the sport of fencing.
How do you pronounce "fencer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fencer" is /ˈfɛnsə/. 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 "fencer"?
From fence + -er. 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 "fencer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

floaty#60,090florid#60,092evened#60,067Escher#60,063

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list