fie

/faɪ/

//faɪ// intj

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

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

The verdict

“fie” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #45,929) as an interjection. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#45,929
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sometimes followed by on or upon: used to express distaste, disgust, or outrage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fie · fie · English

fie · rank #45,929 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,929
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH finality

Nearest frequency peer: finality (+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 “fie”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “fie” 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).

fie vs FL
0% similar
fie vs FM
0% similar
fie vs fu
33% similar

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

Key facts for fie
PropertyValue
Headwordfie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechInterjection
IPA/faɪ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#45,929
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “fie”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).fielands 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 “finality” (#45,930), “Flatbush” (#45,931), “Fells” (#45,926). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fie” is #45,929. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for fie is neighbouring look-alikes ("FL", "FM", …), not just typos; it is aninterjection pronounced /faɪ/. Frequency #45,929 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Gloss: "Sometimes followed by on or upon: used to express distaste, disgust, or outrage.".

fie doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FL", "FM", "fu", 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 fy, from Old French fi, from Latin fī. (with a possible additional influence from Old Norse). Compare Swedish fy. The correct English form is fie, spelled F-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sometimes followed by on or upon: used to express distaste, disgust, or outrage.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Fie, fie, vnknit that thretaning vnkinde brovv, / And dart not ſcornefull glances from thoſe eies, / To vvound thy Lord, thy King, thy Gouernour.
  2. Bian[ca]. I am no ſtrumpet, but of life as honeſt, / As you, that thus abuſe me. / Em[ilia]. As I: fough, fie vpon thee.

Etymology

From Middle English fy, from Old French fi, from Latin fī. (with a possible additional influence from Old Norse). Compare Swedish fy.

This word in other languages

beurk(Français)pfui(Deutsch)vergonha(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 "fie"?
"fie" is spelled F-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /faɪ/.
What does "fie" mean?
As an interjection, "fie" means: Sometimes followed by on or upon: used to express distaste, disgust, or outrage.
What words are commonly confused with "fie"?
"fie" is commonly confused with "FL", "FM", "fu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fie" is /faɪ/. 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 "fie"?
From Middle English fy, from Old French fi, from Latin fī. (with a possible additional influence from Old Norse). Compare Swedish fy. 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 "fie", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

gog#45,946DMZ#45,888HMO#45,979CVD#45,872

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list