few

/fjuː/

//fjuː// det

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

"few" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“few” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #226) as a determiner. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#226
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - An indefinite, but usually small, number of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-few · few · English

few · rank #226 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #226
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH doing

Nearest frequency peer: doing (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “few”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “few” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

few vs fi
33% similar
few vs FL
0% similar
few vs FM
0% similar

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

Key facts for few
PropertyValue
Headwordfew
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechDeterminer
IPA/fjuː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#226
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “few” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for few is neighbouring look-alikes ("fi", "FL", …), not just typos; it is adeterminer pronounced /fjuː/. Frequency #226 among 2,507 “F” headwords. 4 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for few, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fi", "FL", "FM", 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 fewe, from Old English fēaw (“few”), from Proto-West Germanic *fau, from Proto-Germanic *fawaz (“few”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”). Cognate with Old Saxon fā (“few”), Old High German fao, fō (“few, little”), Old Nors… The correct English form is few, spelled F-E-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    An indefinite, but usually small, number of.
  2. 2
    Not many; a small (in comparison with another number stated or implied) but somewhat indefinite number of.
  3. 3
    Obscuring one to two oktas (eighths) of the sky.
  4. 4
    (US?) Having a 10 percent chance of measurable precipitation (0.01 inch); used interchangeably with isolated.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There are a few cars (=some, but a relatively small number) in the street.
  2. Quite a few people (=a significant number) were pleasantly surprised.

Etymology

From Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw (“few”), from Proto-West Germanic *fau, from Proto-Germanic *fawaz (“few”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”). Cognate with Old Saxon fā (“few”), Old High German fao, fō (“few, little”), Old Norse fár (“few”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍃 (faus, “few”). Also related with Latin paucus (“little, few”) and pauper (“poor”), from which latter English poor and pauper; see these.

Synonyms

little

Antonyms

many

This word in other languages

poco(Español)peu(Français)wenig(Deutsch)poucas(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "few"?
"few" is spelled F-E-W. The IPA pronunciation is /fjuː/.
What does "few" mean?
As a determiner, "few" means: An indefinite, but usually small, number of.
What words are commonly confused with "few"?
"few" is commonly confused with "fi", "FL", "FM". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "few"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "few" is /fjuː/. 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 "few"?
From Middle English fewe, from Old English fēaw (“few”), from Proto-West Germanic *fau, from Proto-Germanic *fawaz (“few”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, small”). Cognate with Old Saxon fā (“few”), Old High German fao, fō (“few, little”)... 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 "few", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

let#228lot#219set#234god#239
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list