figment

/ˈfɪɡ.mənt/

//ˈfɪɡ.mənt// noun

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

"figment" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“figment” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,745. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,745
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A fabrication, fantasy, invention; something fictitious.

Corpus desk

Index EN-figment · figment · English

figment · rank #48,745 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,745
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH firmament

Nearest frequency peer: firmament (+2 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 “figment”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “figment” 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).

figment vs fragment
75% similar
figment vs filament
75% similar
figment vs ferment
71% similar

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

Key facts for figment
PropertyValue
Headwordfigment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɪɡ.mənt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#48,745
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “figment”

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).figmentlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “firmament” (#48,747), “Feeney” (#48,742), “fleck” (#48,748). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “figment” is #48,745. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around figment (IPA /ˈfɪɡ.mənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,745 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for figment, with forms such as "ffigment", "fgiment", and "figemnt". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "fragment", "filament", "ferment", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin figmentum (“anything made, a fiction”), from fingō (“make, form, feign”); see fiction, feign. The correct English form is figment, spelled F-I-G-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fabrication, fantasy, invention; something fictitious.
  2. 2
    An item which has been crafted.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a figment of one's imagination
  2. He had not seen sarcomeres: these segments were a figment of his imagination.

Etymology

From Late Latin figmentum (“anything made, a fiction”), from fingō (“make, form, feign”); see fiction, feign.

This word in other languages

quimera(Español)chimère(Français)Hirngespinst(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffigment
  • fgiment
  • figemnt
  • figgment
  • figmennt
  • figmentt
  • figmetn
  • figmment
  • figmnet
  • fimgent
  • ifgment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of figment - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ffigment1fgiment2figemnt2figgment1figmennt1figmentt1figmetn2figmment1
Edit distance from "figment"

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 "figment"?
"figment" is spelled F-I-G-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɪɡ.mənt/.
What does "figment" mean?
As a noun, "figment" means: A fabrication, fantasy, invention; something fictitious.
What words are commonly confused with "figment"?
"figment" is commonly confused with "fragment", "filament", "ferment". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "figment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "figment" is /ˈfɪɡ.mənt/. 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 "figment"?
From Late Latin figmentum (“anything made, a fiction”), from fingō (“make, form, feign”); see fiction, feign. 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 "figment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fondant#48,752galleon#48,761Garnier#48,763Gauguin#48,764

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

freeware11 variantsenchant11 variantsgenitive11 variantsgranary11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list