fist

/fɪst/

//fɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fist” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,423. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,423
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fist · fist · English

fist · rank #8,423 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,423
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fond

Nearest frequency peer: fond (+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 “fist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fist” 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).

fist vs FS
0% similar
fist vs fit
75% similar
fist vs fix
50% similar

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

Key facts for fist
PropertyValue
Headwordfist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɪst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#8,423
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fist”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).fistlands 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 “fond” (#8,424), “farewell” (#8,421), “foolish” (#8,425). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fist” is #8,423. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around fist (IPA /fɪst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,423 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for fist, with forms such as "ffist", "fisst", and "fistt". 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, "FS", "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 fist, from Old English fȳst (“fist”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūsti, of uncertain origin. Cognates Cognate with Yola fest, hist (“fist”), Saterland Frisian Fäste, Fääste (“fist”), Central Franconian Fuus (“fist”), Cimbrian bòista, vòis… The correct English form is fist, spelled F-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward.
  2. 2
    Synonym of manicule.
  3. 3
    The characteristic signaling rhythm of an individual telegraph or CW operator when sending Morse code.
  4. 4
    A person's characteristic handwriting.
  5. 5
    A group of men.
  6. 6
    The talons of a bird of prey.
  7. 7
    An attempt at something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The boxer's fists rained down on his opponent in the last round.
  2. More light then Culver in the Faulcons fist.

Etymology

From Middle English fist, from Old English fȳst (“fist”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūsti, of uncertain origin. Cognates Cognate with Yola fest, hist (“fist”), Saterland Frisian Fäste, Fääste (“fist”), Central Franconian Fuus (“fist”), Cimbrian bòista, vòista (“fist”), Dutch vuist (“fist”), German Faust (“fist”), German Low German Fuust (“fist”), Luxembourgish Fauscht (“fist”), Yiddish פֿויסט (foyst, “fist”). More at five.

Synonyms

niefbunch of fivesfist-sizeductus

This word in other languages

puño(Español)poing(Français)Faust(Deutsch)punho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffist
  • fisst
  • fistt
  • fsit
  • ifst

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffist1fisst1fistt1fsit2ifst2
Edit distance from "fist"

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 "fist"?
"fist" is spelled F-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /fɪst/.
What does "fist" mean?
As a noun, "fist" means: A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward.
What words are commonly confused with "fist"?
"fist" is commonly confused with "FS", "fit", "fix". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fist" is /fɪst/. 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 "fist"?
From Middle English fist, from Old English fȳst (“fist”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūsti, of uncertain origin. Cognates Cognate with Yola fest, hist (“fist”), Saterland Frisian Fäste, Fääste (“fist”), Central Franconian Fuus (“fist”), Cimbrian bò... 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 "fist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fond#8,424frog#8,426heir#8,432Cubs#8,406

Similar misspelling depth

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

Allah5 variantsPeru5 variantsTory5 variantsrogue5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list