fizzle

/ˈfɪzəl/

//ˈfɪzəl// verb

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

"fizzle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fizzle” is uncommon English (frequency #52,947 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,947
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To sputter or hiss.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fizzle · fizzle · English

fizzle · rank #52,947 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,947
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH FLAC

Nearest frequency peer: FLAC (+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 “fizzle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fizzle
PropertyValue
Headwordfizzle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈfɪzəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#52,947
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fizzle” in English

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).fizzlefalls 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: “FLAC” (#52,948), “Flemington” (#52,949), “fon” (#52,951). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fizzle” is #52,947. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fizzle is uncommon English at frequency #52,947 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈfɪzəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

fizzle has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Attested in English since 1525-35. From earlier fysel (“to fart”). Related to fīsa (“to fart”). Compare with Swedish fisa (“to fart (silently)”). See also feist. It could also come from old Norse: "fise" simply means "blow," like in "blow in the wind." A we… The correct English form is fizzle, spelled F-I-Z-Z-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To sputter or hiss.
  2. 2
    To decay or die off to nothing; to burn out; to end less successfully than previously hoped.
  3. 3
    To fail to generate the expected yield when exploded during testing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The soda fizzled for several minutes after it was poured.
  2. It is the easest thing, sir, to be done, / As plain as fizzling.

Etymology

Attested in English since 1525-35. From earlier fysel (“to fart”). Related to fīsa (“to fart”). Compare with Swedish fisa (“to fart (silently)”). See also feist. It could also come from old Norse: "fise" simply means "blow," like in "blow in the wind." A weather-exposed community in Rogaland, Norway, is called Fister. (In modern language, the verb "fisle" has the same 3 meanings as in English, see below.)

This word in other languages

fundir(Español)zischen(Deutsch)

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 "fizzle"?
"fizzle" is spelled F-I-Z-Z-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɪzəl/.
What does "fizzle" mean?
As a verb, "fizzle" means: To sputter or hiss.
How do you pronounce "fizzle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fizzle" is /ˈfɪzəl/. 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 "fizzle"?
Attested in English since 1525-35. From earlier fysel (“to fart”). Related to fīsa (“to fart”). Compare with Swedish fisa (“to fart (silently)”). See also feist. It could also come from old Norse: "fise" simply means "blow," like in "blow in the w... 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 "fizzle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fatten#52,941errata#52,932Gorton#52,968Egbert#52,917

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list