figure of speech
"figure-of-speech" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“figure of speech” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 16
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A word or phrase that intentionally deviates from ordinary language use to produce a rhetorical effect.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | figure of speech |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 16 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “figure of speech” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for figure of speech is 16 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for figure of speech in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is figure of speech, spelled F-I-G-U-R-E- -O-F- -S-P-E-E-C-H.
Definition
- 1A word or phrase that intentionally deviates from ordinary language use to produce a rhetorical effect.
- 2A turn of phrase that is not intended to be interpreted literally, but is used solely as a rhetorical device for the purpose of facilitating effective and nuanced communication.
Synonyms
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “figure of speech”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-I-G-U-R-E- -O-F- -S-P-E-E-C-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.