fescue
/ˈfɛskjuː/noun, verb
fescue is spelled F-E-S-C-U-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fescue means “A straw, wire, stick, etc., used chiefly to point out letters to children when learning to read” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fescue is fescues.
How many letters and syllables are in fescue?
| Letters | 6: F-E-S-C-U-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 77,666th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is fescue?
Fescue appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 77,666th 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 fescue?
- /ˈfɛskjuː/
Fescue has 2 syllables (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)-Vealhurl-fescue.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fescue
- fescues plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- fescuing participle, present
- fescued participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fescue mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A straw, wire, stick, etc., used chiefly to point out letters to children when learning to read.
- 2
A hardy grass commonly used to border golf fairways in temperate climates, of the genus Festuca.
- 3
An instrument for playing on the harp; a plectrum.
- 4
The style of a sundial.
verb
- 1
To use a fescue, or teach with a fescue.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fescue in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense grass:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fétuque |
| German | Schwingel, Schwingelgras |
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 fescue come from?
Inherited from Middle English festu, from Old French festu (modern fétu), from Late Latin *festūcum, from Latin festūca (“stalk, stem, straw”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).