fescue

/ˈfɛskjuː/

//ˈfɛskjuː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fescue” is uncommon English (frequency #77,674 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,674
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A straw, wire, stick, etc., used chiefly to point out letters to children when learning to read.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fescue · fescue · English

fescue · rank #77,674 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,674
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH FIF

Nearest frequency peer: FIF (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “fescue”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fescue
PropertyValue
Headwordfescue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛskjuː/
Letters6
Frequency rank#77,674
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fescue” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).fescuefalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “FIF” (#77,675), “filbert” (#77,676), “feasibly” (#77,671). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fescue” is #77,674. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fescue is uncommon English at frequency #77,674 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfɛskjuː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for fescue, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French festu (modern fétu), from Proto-Romance festu, from Latin festūca (“stalk, stem, straw”). The correct English form is fescue, spelled F-E-S-C-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A straw, wire, stick, etc., used chiefly to point out letters to children when learning to read.
  2. 2
    A hardy grass commonly used to border golf fairways in temperate climates. Any member of the genus Festuca.
  3. 3
    An instrument for playing on the harp; a plectrum.
  4. 4
    The style of a sundial.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to come under the fescue of an imprimatur
  2. ‘Now then,’ Mason rapping upon the Table’s Edge with a sinister-looking Fescue of Ebony, whose List of Uses simple Indication does not quite exhaust, whilst the Girls squirm pleasingly

Etymology

From Old French festu (modern fétu), from Proto-Romance festu, from Latin festūca (“stalk, stem, straw”).

This word in other languages

fétuque(Français)Schwingel(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 "fescue"?
"fescue" is spelled F-E-S-C-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛskjuː/.
What does "fescue" mean?
As a noun, "fescue" means: A straw, wire, stick, etc., used chiefly to point out letters to children when learning to read.
How do you pronounce "fescue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fescue" is /ˈfɛskjuː/. 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 "fescue"?
From Old French festu (modern fétu), from Proto-Romance festu, from Latin festūca (“stalk, stem, straw”). 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 "fescue", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Fisker#77,679fakery#77,664Foshan#77,686eyelet#77,661

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list