field marshal

noun

"field-marshal" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“field marshal” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In certain nations the highest military rank, ranking below only the commander in chief; now mostly disused, being reserved for wartime or post-wartime use, and having become ceremonial in some cou...

Corpus desk

Index EN-field-marshal · field marshal · English

field marshal · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for field marshal
PropertyValue
Headwordfield marshal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “field marshal” sits in English frequency

field marshal falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

field marshal is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In certain nations the highest military rank, ranking below only the commander in chief; now mostly disused, being reserved for wartime or post-wartime use, and having become ceremonial in some cou...".

Zero misspellings are on record for field marshal in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From field + marshal, calque of German Feldmarschall or its source, Middle French maréchal de camp. The correct English form is field marshal, spelled F-I-E-L-D- -M-A-R-S-H-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    In certain nations the highest military rank, ranking below only the commander in chief; now mostly disused, being reserved for wartime or post-wartime use, and having become ceremonial in some countries.

Etymology

From field + marshal, calque of German Feldmarschall or its source, Middle French maréchal de camp.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). 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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "field marshal"?
"field marshal" is spelled F-I-E-L-D- -M-A-R-S-H-A-L.
What does "field marshal" mean?
As a noun, "field marshal" means: In certain nations the highest military rank, ranking below only the commander in chief; now mostly disused, being reserved for wartime or post-wartime use, and having become ceremonial in some cou...
What is the origin of the word "field marshal"?
From field + marshal, calque of German Feldmarschall or its source, Middle French maréchal de camp. 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.
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