fetus

/ˈfiːtəs/

//ˈfiːtəs// noun

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

"fetus" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fetus” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,977. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,977
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An unborn or unhatched vertebrate showing signs of the mature animal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fetus · fetus · English

fetus · rank #12,977 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,977
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flaw

Nearest frequency peer: flaw (+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 “fetus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fetus” 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).

fetus vs feu
60% similar
fetus vs fits
60% similar
fetus vs feud
60% similar

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

Key facts for fetus
PropertyValue
Headwordfetus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfiːtəs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,977
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fetus”

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

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “flaw” (#12,978), “fascinated” (#12,975), “flawless” (#12,979). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fetus” is #12,977. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around fetus (IPA /ˈfiːtəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,977 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for fetus, with forms such as "eftus", "fetsu", and "fettus". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "feu", "fits", "feud", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: A learned borrowing from Latin fētus (“offspring”). Doublet of fawn. The correct English form is fetus, spelled F-E-T-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An unborn or unhatched vertebrate showing signs of the mature animal.
  2. 2
    A human embryo after the eighth week of gestation.
  3. 3
    A neonate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Several feti were removed from every rats' uterus, stripped of their membranes and allowed to lie in the peritoneal cavity connected to the placenta by the umbilical cord and with the placenta still attached to the uterine wall.
  2. The sequence is: molecules in reproductive systems, then gametes, zygotes, morulas, blastocysts, and then fetuses.

Etymology

A learned borrowing from Latin fētus (“offspring”). Doublet of fawn.

This word in other languages

feto(Español)fœtus(Français)Fötus(Deutsch)feto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eftus
  • fetsu
  • fettus
  • fetuss
  • feuts
  • ffetus
  • fteus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fetus - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eftus2fetsu2fettus1fetuss1feuts2ffetus1fteus2
Edit distance from "fetus"

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 "fetus"?
"fetus" is spelled F-E-T-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfiːtəs/.
What does "fetus" mean?
As a noun, "fetus" means: An unborn or unhatched vertebrate showing signs of the mature animal.
What words are commonly confused with "fetus"?
"fetus" is commonly confused with "feu", "fits", "feud". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fetus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fetus" is /ˈfiːtəs/. 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 "fetus"?
A learned borrowing from Latin fētus (“offspring”). Doublet of fawn. 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 "fetus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Fargo#12,974famed#12,973curly#12,953colon#12,945

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Europa7 variantshotter7 variantsElaine7 variantsIsaiah7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list