field

/ˈfi(ː)ld/

//ˈfi(ː)ld// noun

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

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

The verdict

“field” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #571 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#571
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns; an area of open country.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

field vs fil
60% similar
field vs find
60% similar
field vs film
60% similar

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

Key facts for field
PropertyValue
Headwordfield
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfi(ː)ld/
Letters5
Frequency rank#571
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “field” 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). field lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for field is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfi(ː)ld/. Corpus data places it at rank #571 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 26 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for field, with forms such as "feild", "ffield", and "fiedl". 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, "fil", "find", "film", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English feeld, feld (“field”), from Old English feld (“field”), from Proto-West Germanic *felþu (“field”), from Proto-Germanic *felþuz (“field”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“field, plain”) or *pleth₂- (“flat”) (with schwebeabla… The correct English form is field, spelled F-I-E-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns; an area of open country.
  2. 2
    A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns; an area of open country.
  3. 3
    A wide, open space that is used to grow crops or to hold farm animals, usually enclosed by a fence, hedge or other barrier.
  4. 4
    A region containing a particular mineral.
  5. 5
    An airfield, airport or air base; especially, one with unpaved runways.
  6. 6
    A place where competitive matches are carried out.
  7. 7
    A place where competitive matches are carried out.
  8. 8
    A place where competitive matches are carried out.
  9. 9
    A place where competitive matches are carried out.
  10. 10
    A place where competitive matches are carried out.
  11. 11
    A place where competitive matches are carried out.
  12. 12
    A place where competitive matches are carried out.
  13. 13
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  14. 14
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  15. 15
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  16. 16
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  17. 17
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  18. 18
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  19. 19
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  20. 20
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  21. 21
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  22. 22
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  23. 23
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  24. 24
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  25. 25
    Any of various figurative meanings, often dead metaphors.
  26. 26
    Archaic form of fielder.

Etymology

From Middle English feeld, feld (“field”), from Old English feld (“field”), from Proto-West Germanic *felþu (“field”), from Proto-Germanic *felþuz (“field”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“field, plain”) or *pleth₂- (“flat”) (with schwebeablaut). Cognates Cognate with Scots feld, feild (“field”), North Frisian fial, fälj (“field”), Saterland Frisian Fäild (“field”), West Frisian fjild (“field”), Dutch veld (“field”), German and Luxembourgish Feld (“field”), Vilamovian fald (“field”), Danish, Norwegian felt (“field”), Swedish fält (“field”), Finnish pelto (“field”), Asturian and Leonese platu (“plate”), Aragonese and Spanish plato (“plate”), Catalan plat (“plate”), French plat (“dish”), Galician, Mirandese, and Portuguese prato (“plate”), Italian piatto (“plate”), Latin *plattus (“flattened”), Greek πλατύς (platýs, “wide, broad”). Doublet of plate. Related also to Middle English flat (“flat”), Old English folde (“earth, land, territory”), Old English folm (“palm of the hand”). More at flat, fold. Not related to English felt.

Synonyms

areadomainsphererealmcoursecourtgroundpitchinput fieldbox

This word in other languages

campo(Español)champ(Français)Feld(Deutsch)campo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: feild,ffield,fiedl,fieldd,fielld,ifeld

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

feild2ffield1fiedl2fieldd1fielld1ifeld2
Edit distance from "field"

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 "field"?
"field" is spelled F-I-E-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfi(ː)ld/.
What does "field" mean?
As a noun, "field" means: A land area free of woodland, cities, and towns; an area of open country.
What words are commonly confused with "field"?
"field" is commonly confused with "fil", "find", "film". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "field"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "field" is /ˈfi(ː)ld/. 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 "field"?
From Middle English feeld, feld (“field”), from Old English feld (“field”), from Proto-West Germanic *felþu (“field”), from Proto-Germanic *felþuz (“field”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- (“field, plain”) or *pleth₂- (“flat”) (with s... 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.

Using “field”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-I-E-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfi(ː)ld/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “fil” - see the side-by-side comparison. field vs fil
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list