focus

/ˈfəʊ.kəs/

//ˈfəʊ.kəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“focus” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,077. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,077
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-focus · focus · English

focus · rank #1,077 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,077
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH female

Nearest frequency peer: female (-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 “focus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “focus” 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).

focus vs fou
60% similar
focus vs four
60% similar
focus vs foul
60% similar

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

Key facts for focus
PropertyValue
Headwordfocus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfəʊ.kəs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,077
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “focus”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).focuslands 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 “female” (#1,076), “g” (#1,078), “despite” (#1,075). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “focus” is #1,077. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around focus (IPA /ˈfəʊ.kəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,077 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for focus, with forms such as "fcous", "ffocus", and "foccus". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fou", "four", "foul", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin focus (“hearth, fireplace”); see there for more. Related to fuel. Kepler introduced the term into mathematics and the sciences in describing elliptical orbits of planets (quote from Nicholas Mee) : "One of the interesting properties of a… The correct English form is focus, spelled F-O-C-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.
  2. 2
    A point of a conic at which rays reflected from a curve or surface converge.
  3. 3
    The fact of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.
  4. 4
    The quality of the convergence of light on the photographic medium.
  5. 5
    Concentration of attention.
  6. 6
    Something to which activity, attention or interest is primarily directed.
  7. 7
    The exact point of where an earthquake occurs, in three dimensions (underneath the epicentre).
  8. 8
    The status of being the currently active element in a user interface, often indicated by a visual highlight.
  9. 9
    The most important word or phrase in a sentence or passage, or the one that imparts information.
  10. 10
    An object used in casting a magic spell.
  11. 11
    The centre of an older fish's scale, which is the point where a younger fish's scale starts to grow from.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The heat of sunlight at the focus of a magnifying glass can easily set dry leaves on fire.
  2. Unfortunately, the license plate is out of focus in this image.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin focus (“hearth, fireplace”); see there for more. Related to fuel. Kepler introduced the term into mathematics and the sciences in describing elliptical orbits of planets (quote from Nicholas Mee) : "One of the interesting properties of an ellipse is that if there were a light bulb at one focus, then all the light that it emits would reflect off the ellipse and converge at the other focus. This is why Kepler originally used the name focus for these points."

This word in other languages

foco(Español)foyer(Français)Brennpunkt(Deutsch)foco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fcous
  • ffocus
  • foccus
  • focsu
  • focuss
  • foucs
  • ofcus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fcous2ffocus1foccus1focsu2focuss1foucs2ofcus2
Edit distance from "focus"

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 "focus"?
"focus" is spelled F-O-C-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfəʊ.kəs/.
What does "focus" mean?
As a noun, "focus" means: A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge.
What words are commonly confused with "focus"?
"focus" is commonly confused with "fou", "four", "foul". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "focus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "focus" is /ˈfəʊ.kəs/. 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 "focus"?
Borrowed from Latin focus (“hearth, fireplace”); see there for more. Related to fuel. Kepler introduced the term into mathematics and the sciences in describing elliptical orbits of planets (quote from Nicholas Mee) : "One of the interesting prope... 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 "focus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cross#1,073loved#1,088miles#1,090radio#1,059

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

moved7 variantsJesus7 variantsstore7 variantssales7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list