fever

/ˈfiːvə/

//ˈfiːvə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fever” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,945. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,945
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A higher than normal body temperature of a person (or, generally, a mammal), usually caused by disease.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fever · fever · English

fever · rank #4,945 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,945
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH explosion

Nearest frequency peer: explosion (-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 “fever”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fever” 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).

fever vs five
60% similar
fever vs fewer
80% similar
fever vs fiber
60% similar

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

Key facts for fever
PropertyValue
Headwordfever
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfiːvə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,945
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fever”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).feverlands 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 “explosion” (#4,944), “fluid” (#4,946), “Evans” (#4,943). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fever” is #4,945. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around fever (IPA /ˈfiːvə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,945 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for fever, with forms such as "efver", "feevr", and "feverr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "five", "fewer", "fiber", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fever, fevere, from Old English fefer, fefor (“fever”) and Old French fievre (“fever”), from Latin febris (“a fever”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”). Replaced native Old English hriþ (“fever”). Compare also Saterland Fris… The correct English form is fever, spelled F-E-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A higher than normal body temperature of a person (or, generally, a mammal), usually caused by disease.
  2. 2
    Any of various diseases.
  3. 3
    A state of excitement or anxiety.
  4. 4
    A group of stingrays.
  5. 5
    Sexual attraction towards a specific group of people.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There has been a rise in my fever. I think I've the flu.
  2. Proper nutrition – and even more important, proper hydration – is crucial in preventing and recovering from both fevers and colds. […] As Abramson explained, when we are sick, whether we have a fever or not, our metabolic rates skyrocket, and our bodies need more calories to support that high metabolic rate.

Etymology

From Middle English fever, fevere, from Old English fefer, fefor (“fever”) and Old French fievre (“fever”), from Latin febris (“a fever”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”). Replaced native Old English hriþ (“fever”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Fiewer, German Fieber, Danish feber, Swedish feber.

Synonyms

high temperaturepyrexiatemperatureexcitationexcitementpassion

This word in other languages

fiebre(Español)fièvre(Français)Fieber(Deutsch)febre(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • efver
  • feevr
  • feverr
  • fevre
  • fevver
  • ffever
  • fveer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fever - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

efver2feevr2feverr1fevre2fevver1ffever1fveer2
Edit distance from "fever"

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 "fever"?
"fever" is spelled F-E-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfiːvə/.
What does "fever" mean?
As a noun, "fever" means: A higher than normal body temperature of a person (or, generally, a mammal), usually caused by disease.
What words are commonly confused with "fever"?
"fever" is commonly confused with "five", "fewer", "fiber". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fever"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fever" is /ˈfiːvə/. 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 "fever"?
From Middle English fever, fevere, from Old English fefer, fefor (“fever”) and Old French fievre (“fever”), from Latin febris (“a fever”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ- (“to burn”). Replaced native Old English hriþ (“fever”). Compare also Sate... 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 "fever", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fluid#4,946Evans#4,943climb#4,929loads#4,961

Similar misspelling depth

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

canal7 variantsultra7 variantstasks7 variantssnake7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list