# fierce

> English word · Adjective · IPA /fɪəs/ · frequency rank #8,036

## Definitions
1. Exceedingly violent, severe, ferocious, cruel or savage.
2. Resolute or strenuously active.
3. Threatening in appearance or demeanor.
4. Excellent, very good.
5. Of exceptional quality, exhibiting boldness or chutzpah.

## Etymology
From Middle English fers, fiers, borrowed from Old French fers (“wild", "ferocious”), nominative of fer, from Latin ferus (“wild", "untamed”).

## Easily confused with
- **fire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fierce-vs-fire)
- **force** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fierce-vs-force)
- **fiery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fierce-vs-fiery)
- **fleece** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fierce-vs-fleece)
- **fiercely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fierce-vs-fiercely)
- **fiercest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fierce-vs-fiercest)
- **fence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fence-vs-fierce)
- **fibre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fibre-vs-fierce)
- **farce** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/farce-vs-fierce)
- **fiancé** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fiance-vs-fierce)
- **faerie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/faerie-vs-fierce)

## Common misspellings (8)
`feirce`, `ffierce`, `fiecre`, `fiercce`, `fierec`, `fierrce`, `firece`, `iferce`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fierce