filth

/fɪlθ/

//fɪlθ// noun

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

"filth" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“filth” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,914. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,914
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dirt; foul matter; that which soils or defiles.

Corpus desk

Index EN-filth · filth · English

filth · rank #16,914 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,914
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH figs

Nearest frequency peer: figs (-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 “filth”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “filth” 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).

filth vs fit
60% similar
filth vs fish
60% similar
filth vs fits
60% similar

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

Key facts for filth
PropertyValue
Headwordfilth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɪlθ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#16,914
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “filth”

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).filthlands 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 “figs” (#16,913), “Firefox” (#16,915), “FedEx” (#16,912). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “filth” is #16,914. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around filth (IPA /fɪlθ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,914 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for filth, with forms such as "ffilth", "filht", and "fillth". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fit", "fish", "fits", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English filth, from Old English fȳlþu, from Proto-West Germanic *fūliþu, equivalent to foul + -th (abstract nominal suffix). The correct English form is filth, spelled F-I-L-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dirt; foul matter; that which soils or defiles.
  2. 2
    Smut; that which sullies or defiles the moral character; corruption; pollution.
  3. 3
    A vile or disgusting person.
  4. 4
    Weeds growing on pasture land.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Before we start cooking we need to clean up the filth in this kitchen.
  2. He spends all his time watching filth on pornographic websites.

Etymology

From Middle English filth, from Old English fȳlþu, from Proto-West Germanic *fūliþu, equivalent to foul + -th (abstract nominal suffix).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffilth
  • filht
  • fillth
  • filthh
  • filtth
  • fitlh
  • flith
  • iflth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffilth1filht2fillth1filthh1filtth1fitlh2flith2iflth2
Edit distance from "filth"

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 "filth"?
"filth" is spelled F-I-L-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /fɪlθ/.
What does "filth" mean?
As a noun, "filth" means: Dirt; foul matter; that which soils or defiles.
What words are commonly confused with "filth"?
"filth" is commonly confused with "fit", "fish", "fits". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "filth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "filth" is /fɪlθ/. 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 "filth"?
From Middle English filth, from Old English fȳlþu, from Proto-West Germanic *fūliþu, equivalent to foul + -th (abstract nominal suffix). 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 "filth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

FedEx#16,912fades#16,911genie#16,924glued#16,926

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

funnier8 variantsEmmanuel8 variantsdarts8 variantsjacks8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list