filament

/ˈfɪləmənt/

//ˈfɪləmənt// noun

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

"filament" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“filament” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,761. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,761
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A fine thread or wire.

Corpus desk

Index EN-filament · filament · English

filament · rank #25,761 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,761
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fairest

Nearest frequency peer: fairest (-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 “filament”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “filament” 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).

filament vs firmament
78% similar
filament vs figment
75% similar

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

Key facts for filament
PropertyValue
Headwordfilament
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɪləmənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,761
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “filament”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).filamentlands 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 “fairest” (#25,760), “fairer” (#25,759), “Flemish” (#25,763). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “filament” is #25,761. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around filament (IPA /ˈfɪləmənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,761 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for filament, with forms such as "ffilament", "fialment", and "filaemnt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "firmament", "figment", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin fīlāmentum, from Late Latin fīlō (“to spin, draw out in a long line”), from Latin fīlum (“thread”). The correct English form is filament, spelled F-I-L-A-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A fine thread or wire.
  2. 2
    Such a wire, as can be heated until it glows, in an incandescent light bulb or a thermionic valve.
  3. 3
    A massive, thread-like structure, such as those gaseous ones which extend outward from the surface of the sun, or such as those (much larger) ones which form the boundaries between large voids in the universe.
  4. 4
    The stalk of a flower stamen, supporting the anther.
  5. 5
    A continuous object, limited in length only by its spool, and not cut to length.
  6. 6
    A continuous object, limited in length only by its spool, and not cut to length.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lighting was unimaginative for the standard stock with naked tungsten filament bulbs and metal reflectors. However, all compartments had individual reading lights above the seats with attractive glass shades.
  2. solar filament

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin fīlāmentum, from Late Latin fīlō (“to spin, draw out in a long line”), from Latin fīlum (“thread”).

This word in other languages

filamento(Español)filament(Français)Faser(Deutsch)filamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffilament
  • fialment
  • filaemnt
  • filamennt
  • filamentt
  • filametn
  • filamment
  • filamnet
  • fillament
  • filmaent
  • fliament
  • iflament

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of filament - 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.

ffilament1fialment2filaemnt2filamennt1filamentt1filametn2filamment1filamnet2
Edit distance from "filament"

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 "filament"?
"filament" is spelled F-I-L-A-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɪləmənt/.
What does "filament" mean?
As a noun, "filament" means: A fine thread or wire.
What words are commonly confused with "filament"?
"filament" is commonly confused with "firmament", "figment". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "filament"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "filament" is /ˈfɪləmənt/. 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 "filament"?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin fīlāmentum, from Late Latin fīlō (“to spin, draw out in a long line”), from Latin fīlum (“thread”). 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 "filament", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fuselage#25,769Gillette#25,773emphatic#25,747crowning#25,723

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

genitalia12 variantsGranville12 variantsdoubtless12 variantsirritable12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list