fez

/fɛz/

//fɛz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fez” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #30,045) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#30,045
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone, having a flat top with a tassel attached.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fez · fez · English

fez · rank #30,045 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,045
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ferrell

Nearest frequency peer: Ferrell (-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 neighbours of confusable “fez”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “fez” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

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

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

Key facts for fez
PropertyValue
Headwordfez
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɛz/
Letters3
Frequency rank#30,045
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “fez”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Ferrell” (#30,044), “FHA” (#30,046), “fillet” (#30,047). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fez” is #30,045. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for fez is neighbouring look-alikes ("fi", "FL", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /fɛz/. Frequency #30,045 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Gloss: "A felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone, having a flat top with a tassel attached.".

Zero misspellings are on record for fez in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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 Ottoman Turkish فس (fes) (modern Turkish fes), named after Fez, Morocco, (capital of the Kingdom of Morocco until 1927), where the dye to color the hat was extracted from crimson berries. The correct English form is fez, spelled F-E-Z.

Definition

  1. 1
    A felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone, having a flat top with a tassel attached.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He was in his shirt, but he still wore his fez, as though he had gone to bed in it, which was probably the case.

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish فس (fes) (modern Turkish fes), named after Fez, Morocco, (capital of the Kingdom of Morocco until 1927), where the dye to color the hat was extracted from crimson berries.

This word in other languages

fez(Español)fez(Français)Fes(Deutsch)fez(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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fez"?
"fez" is spelled F-E-Z. The IPA pronunciation is /fɛz/.
What does "fez" mean?
As a noun, "fez" means: A felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone, having a flat top with a tassel attached.
What words are commonly confused with "fez"?
"fez" 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 "fez"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fez" is /fɛz/. 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 "fez"?
From Ottoman Turkish فس (fes) (modern Turkish fes), named after Fez, Morocco, (capital of the Kingdom of Morocco until 1927), where the dye to color the hat was extracted from crimson berries. 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 "fez", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

FHA#30,046hag#30,075DRC#30,011Hsu#30,084

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list