fig

/fɪɡ/

//fɪɡ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fig” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #6,052) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#6,052
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The fruit of the fig tree, pear-shaped and containing many small seeds.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fig · fig · English

fig · rank #6,052 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,052
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fatal

Nearest frequency peer: fatal (-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 “fig”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “fig” 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).

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

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

Key facts for fig
PropertyValue
Headwordfig
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɪɡ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#6,052
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “fig”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).figlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “fatal” (#6,051), “fitting” (#6,053), “faithful” (#6,050). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fig” is #6,052. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for fig is neighbouring look-alikes ("FL", "FM", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /fɪɡ/. Frequency #6,052 among 2,507 “F” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No generated misspelling entries exist for fig in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. 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 fige, fygge (also fyke, from Old English fīc, see fike), borrowed from Anglo-Norman figue, borrowed from Old French figue, from Old Occitan figa, from Vulgar Latin *fīca (“fig”), from Latin fīcus (“fig tree”), from a pre-Indo European la… The correct English form is fig, spelled F-I-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    The fruit of the fig tree, pear-shaped and containing many small seeds.
  2. 2
    A fruit-bearing tree or shrub of the genus Ficus that is native mainly to the tropics.
  3. 3
    The value of a fig, practically nothing; a fico; a whit.
  4. 4
    A Lady Finger banana, also known as the "fig banana", (cultivar of Musa acuminata)
  5. 5
    A raisin (dried grape).
  6. 6
    A small piece of tobacco.
  7. 7
    A fico, a contemptuous gesture.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
  2. I'll pledge you all; and a fig for Peter!

Etymology

From Middle English fige, fygge (also fyke, from Old English fīc, see fike), borrowed from Anglo-Norman figue, borrowed from Old French figue, from Old Occitan figa, from Vulgar Latin *fīca (“fig”), from Latin fīcus (“fig tree”), from a pre-Indo European language, perhaps Phoenician 𐤐𐤂 (pg, literally “ripe fig”) (compare Biblical Hebrew פַּגָּה (paggâ, “early fallen fig”), Classical Syriac ܦܓܐ (paggāʾ), dialectal Arabic فَجّ (fajj), فِجّ (fijj)). (Another Semitic root (compare Akkadian 𒈠 (tīʾu, literally “fig”)) was borrowed into Ancient Greek as σῦκον (sûkon) (whence English sycophant; Boeotian τῦκον (tûkon)) and Armenian as թուզ (tʻuz).) The soap-making sense derives from the resemblance of the granulations in and texture of the soap to those of a fig. Doublet of fico.

This word in other languages

higuera(Español)figuier(Français)Feigenbaum(Deutsch)figueira(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 "fig"?
"fig" is spelled F-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is /fɪɡ/.
What does "fig" mean?
As a noun, "fig" means: The fruit of the fig tree, pear-shaped and containing many small seeds.
What words are commonly confused with "fig"?
"fig" 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 "fig"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fig" is /fɪɡ/. 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 "fig"?
From Middle English fige, fygge (also fyke, from Old English fīc, see fike), borrowed from Anglo-Norman figue, borrowed from Old French figue, from Old Occitan figa, from Vulgar Latin *fīca (“fig”), from Latin fīcus (“fig tree”), from a pre-Indo E... 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 "fig", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

les#6,067cam#6,032ore#6,076thy#6,014

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list