feng shui
/fʌŋˈʃweɪ/
Detailed reference entry for the English word "feng-shui", 9-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "feng-shui" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "feng-shui" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
The verdict
“feng shui” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A system of spiritual energies, both good and evil, present in the natural features of landscapes.
Compare similar words
See how feng shui compares against similar English words.
Browse all word comparisons →| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | feng shui |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /fʌŋˈʃweɪ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “feng shui” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for feng shui is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fʌŋˈʃweɪ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for feng shui in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Mandarin 風水 /风水 (fēngshuǐ, “feng shui (Chinese system of geomancy)”, literally “wind and water”): 風 /风 (fēng, “wind”) + 水 (shuǐ, “water”). Doublet of fung shui. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is feng shui, spelled F-E-N-G- -S-H-U-I, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1A system of spiritual energies, both good and evil, present in the natural features of landscapes.
- 2An ancient Chinese system of geomancy used to design buildings and graves, and to determine the spatial arrangement of things, according to rules about the flow of energy, aimed at achieving harmony with the environment, promoting good fortune and wealth, etc.
- 3The state of having a space in a particular order, though not necessarily in accordance with any actual principles of the Chinese system of geomancy.
Etymology
Borrowed from Mandarin 風水 /风水 (fēngshuǐ, “feng shui (Chinese system of geomancy)”, literally “wind and water”): 風 /风 (fēng, “wind”) + 水 (shuǐ, “water”). Doublet of fung shui.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Cite this page
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:
PlainSpell, “feng shui, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/feng-shui
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "feng shui"?
What does "feng shui" mean?
How do you pronounce "feng shui"?
What is the origin of the word "feng shui"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “feng shui”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-E-N-G- -S-H-U-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /fʌŋˈʃweɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter F in our English index: