fetish

/ˈfɛt.ɪʃ/

//ˈfɛt.ɪʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fetish” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,149. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,149
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something which is believed to possess, contain, or cause spiritual or magical powers; an amulet or a talisman.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fetish · fetish · English

fetish · rank #13,149 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,149
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fixes

Nearest frequency peer: fixes (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “fetish”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “fetish” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

fetish vs fish
67% similar
fetish vs fetus
67% similar
fetish vs finish
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for fetish
PropertyValue
Headwordfetish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɛt.ɪʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#13,149
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fetish”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).fetishlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “fixes” (#13,150), “fart” (#13,147), “FLA” (#13,151). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fetish” is #13,149. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around fetish (IPA /ˈfɛt.ɪʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,149 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for fetish, with forms such as "eftish", "feitsh", and "fetihs". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "fish", "fetus", "finish", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁k-yé-ti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Latin faciō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Latin factus Latin -īcius Latin factīcius Portuguese feitiçobor. Fren… The correct English form is fetish, spelled F-E-T-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something which is believed to possess, contain, or cause spiritual or magical powers; an amulet or a talisman.
  2. 2
    A figure representing the spirit of a deity, human, or animal; an idol or voodoo doll.
  3. 3
    Sexual fixation to or arousal at something abnormally sexual or nonsexual, such as an object or a nonsexual part of the body.
  4. 4
    An irrational or abnormal preoccupation or fixation on some object or activity; an obsession.
  5. 5
    A recurrent theme of a specific thing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The idols and fetishes were being dressed up and whitewashed, receiving sacrifices.
  2. This was the trunk of a large wooden doll […] now entirely defaced by a long career of vicarious suffering. […] The last nail had been driven in with a fiercer stroke than usual, for the Fetish on that occasion represented aunt Glegg

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁k-yé-ti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Latin faciō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Latin factus Latin -īcius Latin factīcius Portuguese feitiçobor. French fétichebor. English fetish Borrowed from French fétiche, from Portuguese feitiço, from Latin factīcius (“artificial”). Doublet of factitious.

This word in other languages

fetiche(Español)fétiche(Français)Fetisch(Deutsch)fetiche(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eftish
  • feitsh
  • fetihs
  • fetishh
  • fetissh
  • fetsih
  • fettish
  • ffetish
  • fteish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fetish - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eftish2feitsh2fetihs2fetishh1fetissh1fetsih2fettish1ffetish1
Edit distance from "fetish"

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 "fetish"?
"fetish" is spelled F-E-T-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɛt.ɪʃ/.
What does "fetish" mean?
As a noun, "fetish" means: Something which is believed to possess, contain, or cause spiritual or magical powers; an amulet or a talisman.
What words are commonly confused with "fetish"?
"fetish" is commonly confused with "fish", "fetus", "finish". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fetish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fetish" is /ˈfɛt.ɪʃ/. 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 "fetish"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁k-yé-ti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Latin faciō Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tos Latin -tus Latin factus Latin -īcius Latin factīcius Portuguese feitiç... 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 "fetish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fluffy#13,152drills#13,137cortex#13,126jailed#13,179

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

jasper9 variantsjewels9 variantscalorie9 variantsbrowse9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list