finis

/ˈfɪnɪs/

//ˈfɪnɪs// noun

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

The verdict

“finis” is uncommon English (frequency #68,217 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,217
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a book or other work: the end.

Corpus desk

Index EN-finis · finis · English

finis · rank #68,217 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,217
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fillon

Nearest frequency peer: Fillon (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “finis”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “finis” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for finis
PropertyValue
Headwordfinis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɪnɪs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#68,217
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “finis” in English

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).finisfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Fillon” (#68,216), “finna” (#68,218), “fiercer” (#68,215). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “finis” is #68,217. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

finis is uncommon English at frequency #68,217 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfɪnɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of a book or other work: the end.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for finis in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English finis, from Latin fīnis (“end; limit”). Doublet of fin, fine, and finish. The correct English form is finis, spelled F-I-N-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a book or other work: the end.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He had gone through the work from the title-page to the finis at least forty times, and had just commenced it over again.
  2. Highly providential was the appearance on the scene of Corny Kelleher when Stephen was blissfully unconscious that, but for that man in the gap turning up at the eleventh hour, the finis might have been that he might have been a candidate for the accident ward, […]

Etymology

From Middle English finis, from Latin fīnis (“end; limit”). Doublet of fin, fine, and finish.

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 "finis"?
"finis" is spelled F-I-N-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɪnɪs/.
What does "finis" mean?
As a noun, "finis" means: Of a book or other work: the end.
How do you pronounce "finis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "finis" is /ˈfɪnɪs/. 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 "finis"?
From Middle English finis, from Latin fīnis (“end; limit”). Doublet of fin, fine, and finish. 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 "finis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list