fistula

/ˈfɪs.tjə.lə/

//ˈfɪs.tjə.lə// noun

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

"fistula" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fistula” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,059. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,059
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels that normally do not connect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fistula · fistula · English

fistula · rank #47,059 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,059
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH feedstock

Nearest frequency peer: feedstock (-2 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 “fistula”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fistula” 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).

fistula vs fibula
71% similar
fistula vs fistful
71% similar

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

Key facts for fistula
PropertyValue
Headwordfistula
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɪs.tjə.lə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#47,059
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fistula”

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).fistulalands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “feedstock” (#47,057), “faultless” (#47,056), “foxtrot” (#47,062). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fistula” is #47,059. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around fistula (IPA /ˈfɪs.tjə.lə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #47,059 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for fistula, with forms such as "ffistula", "fisstula", and "fistlua". 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, "fibula", "fistful", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin fistula (“pipe, ulcer, catheter”). Doublet of fester. The correct English form is fistula, spelled F-I-S-T-U-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    An abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels that normally do not connect.
  2. 2
    A tube, a pipe, or a hole.
  3. 3
    The tube through which the wine of the Eucharist was once sucked from the chalice in certain ceremonies (such as papal Masses).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. communicating fistula
  2. blind fistula

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin fistula (“pipe, ulcer, catheter”). Doublet of fester.

This word in other languages

fístula(Español)fistule(Français)Fistel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffistula
  • fisstula
  • fistlua
  • fisttula
  • fistual
  • fistulla
  • fisutla
  • fitsula
  • fsitula
  • ifstula

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fistula - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ffistula1fisstula1fistlua2fisttula1fistual2fistulla1fisutla2fitsula2
Edit distance from "fistula"

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 "fistula"?
"fistula" is spelled F-I-S-T-U-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɪs.tjə.lə/.
What does "fistula" mean?
As a noun, "fistula" means: An abnormal connection or passageway between organs or vessels that normally do not connect.
What words are commonly confused with "fistula"?
"fistula" is commonly confused with "fibula", "fistful". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fistula"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fistula" is /ˈfɪs.tjə.lə/. 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 "fistula"?
Learned borrowing from Latin fistula (“pipe, ulcer, catheter”). Doublet of fester. 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 "fistula", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

foxtrot#47,062fancier#47,054dualism#47,028heckler#47,094

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

headbutt10 variantsdisavow10 variantsdeferral10 variantsjointed10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list