fiend

/fiːnd/

//fiːnd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fiend” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,384. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,384
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A devil or demon; a malignant or diabolical being; an evil spirit.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fiend · fiend · English

fiend · rank #25,384 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,384
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Faso

Nearest frequency peer: Faso (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “fiend”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “fiend” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

fiend vs fin
60% similar
fiend vs find
80% similar
fiend vs fine
60% similar

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

Key facts for fiend
PropertyValue
Headwordfiend
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fiːnd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#25,384
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fiend”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).fiendlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Faso” (#25,383), “fledgling” (#25,385), “eyeball” (#25,382). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fiend” is #25,384. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around fiend (IPA /fiːnd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,384 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for fiend, with forms such as "feind", "ffiend", and "fiedn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fin", "find", "fine", 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 fend, feend (“enemy; demon”), from Old English fēond (“enemy”), Proto-West Germanic *fijand, from Proto-Germanic *fijandz. Cognates Cognate with Scots fient (“fiend”), Saterland Frisian Fäind (“enemy, fiend, foe”), Cimbrian faint (“enemy… The correct English form is fiend, spelled F-I-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A devil or demon; a malignant or diabolical being; an evil spirit.
  2. 2
    A very evil person.
  3. 3
    An enemy; a foe.
  4. 4
    The enemy of mankind, specifically, the Devil; Satan.
  5. 5
    An addict or fanatic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. what God or Feend, or ſpirit of the earth, Or Monſter turned to a manly ſhape, Or of what mould or mettel he be made, […]
  2. Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!

Etymology

From Middle English fend, feend (“enemy; demon”), from Old English fēond (“enemy”), Proto-West Germanic *fijand, from Proto-Germanic *fijandz. Cognates Cognate with Scots fient (“fiend”), Saterland Frisian Fäind (“enemy, fiend, foe”), Cimbrian faint (“enemy, fiend”), Dutch vijand (“enemy”), German Feind (“enemy, fiend, foe”), Vilamovian faeind, fajnd (“enemy”), Yiddish פֿײַנד (faynd), פֿײַנט (faynt, “enemy”), Danish fjende (“adversary, enemy, foe”), Icelandic fjandi (“enemy; fiend, demon, devil”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish fiende (“enemy”), Old Norse fjándi (“enemy; devil”), Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (fiands), 𐍆𐌹𐌾𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 (fijands, “enemy, foe”). The Old Norse and Gothic terms are present participles of the corresponding verbs fjá/𐍆𐌹𐌾𐌰𐌽 (fijan, “to hate”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hate”) (compare Sanskrit पीयति (pī́yati, “(he) reviles”)).

This word in other languages

diablo(Español)démon(Français)Dämon(Deutsch)demónio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • feind
  • ffiend
  • fiedn
  • fiendd
  • fiennd
  • ifend

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

feind2ffiend1fiedn2fiendd1fiennd1ifend2
Edit distance from "fiend"

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 "fiend"?
"fiend" is spelled F-I-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /fiːnd/.
What does "fiend" mean?
As a noun, "fiend" means: A devil or demon; a malignant or diabolical being; an evil spirit.
What words are commonly confused with "fiend"?
"fiend" is commonly confused with "fin", "find", "fine". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fiend"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fiend" is /fiːnd/. 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 "fiend"?
From Middle English fend, feend (“enemy; demon”), from Old English fēond (“enemy”), Proto-West Germanic *fijand, from Proto-Germanic *fijandz. Cognates Cognate with Scots fient (“fiend”), Saterland Frisian Fäind (“enemy, fiend, foe”), Cimbrian fai... 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 "fiend", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Exxon#25,381epoxy#25,374Glock#25,395edict#25,366

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

dory6 variantsdork6 variantsdeems6 variantsIrina6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list