fill

/fɪl/

//fɪl// verb

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

"fill" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fill” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #2,297) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#2,297
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make full

Corpus desk

Index EN-fill · fill · English

fill · rank #2,297 · 3 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,297
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 3 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fault

Nearest frequency peer: fault (-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 “fill”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “fill” 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).

fill vs FL
0% similar
fill vs fit
50% similar
fill vs fix
50% similar

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

Key facts for fill
PropertyValue
Headwordfill
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/fɪl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,297
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “fill”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “fault” (#2,296), “films” (#2,298), “faster” (#2,295). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fill” is #2,297. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for fill is neighbouring look-alikes ("FL", "fit", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /fɪl/. Frequency #2,297 among 2,507 “F” headwords. 13 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for fill, with forms such as "ffill", "flil", and "ifll". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FL", "fit", "fix", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fillen, fullen, from Old English fyllan (“to fill, fill up, replenish, satisfy; complete, fulfill”), from Proto-West Germanic *fullijan, from Proto-Germanic *fullijaną (“to make full, fill”), from *fullaz (“full”), from Proto-Indo-Europe… The correct English form is fill, spelled F-I-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make full
  2. 2
    To make full
  3. 3
    To make full
  4. 4
    To become full.
  5. 5
    To become full.
  6. 6
    To satisfy or obey (an order, request, or requirement).
  7. 7
    To install someone, or be installed, in (a position or office), eliminating a vacancy.
  8. 8
    To treat (a tooth) by adding a dental filling to it.
  9. 9
    To block, obstruct
  10. 10
    To supply fully with food; to feed; to satisfy.
  11. 11
    To trim (a yard) so that the wind blows on the after side of the sails.
  12. 12
    To have sexual intercourse with (a female).
  13. 13
    To ejaculate inside someone or something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She filled a glass with milk.
  2. dreams filled with surreal imagery

Etymology

From Middle English fillen, fullen, from Old English fyllan (“to fill, fill up, replenish, satisfy; complete, fulfill”), from Proto-West Germanic *fullijan, from Proto-Germanic *fullijaną (“to make full, fill”), from *fullaz (“full”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós (“full”). Cognate with Scots fill (“to fill”), West Frisian folje (“to fill”), Low German füllen (“to fill”), Dutch vullen (“to fill”), German füllen (“to fill”), Danish fylde (“to fill”), Swedish fylla (“to fill”), Norwegian fylle (“to fill”), Icelandic fylla (“to fill”) and Latin plenus (“full”)

Synonyms

pervadedickget up inknobswivecopulate with

Antonyms

emptyempty

This word in other languages

llenar(Español)remplir(Français)füllen(Deutsch)encher(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffill
  • flil
  • ifll

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffill1flil2ifll2
Edit distance from "fill"

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 "fill"?
"fill" is spelled F-I-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /fɪl/.
What does "fill" mean?
As a verb, "fill" means: To make full
What words are commonly confused with "fill"?
"fill" is commonly confused with "FL", "fit", "fix". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fill"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fill" is /fɪl/. 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 "fill"?
From Middle English fillen, fullen, from Old English fyllan (“to fill, fill up, replenish, satisfy; complete, fulfill”), from Proto-West Germanic *fullijan, from Proto-Germanic *fullijaną (“to make full, fill”), from *fullaz (“full”), from Proto-I... 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 "fill", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pure#2,308acts#2,276Tony#2,321task#2,271

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list