# fog

> English word · Noun · IPA /fɒɡ/ · frequency rank #8,288

## Definitions
1. A thick cloud that forms near the ground; the obscurity of such a cloud.
2. A mist or film clouding a surface.
3. A state of mind characterized by lethargy and confusion.
4. A silver deposit or other blur on a negative or developed photographic image.
5. Distance fog.

## Etymology
Origin uncertain; but probably of North Germanic origin. Probably either a back-formation from foggy (“covered with tall grass; thick, marshy”), from the earlier-attested fog (“tall grass”) (see below), or from or related to Danish fog (“spray, shower, drift, storm”), related to Icelandic fok (“spray, any light thing tossed by the wind, snowdrift”), Icelandic fjúka (“to blow, drive”), from Proto-Germanic *feukaną (“to whisk, blow”), from Proto-Indo-European *pug- (“billow, bulge, drift”), from *pew-, *pow- (“to blow, drift, billow”), in which case related to German fauchen (“to hiss, spit, spray”).

## Easily confused with
- **fu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fu)
- **FS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fs)
- **FP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fp)
- **FW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fw)
- **fy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fy)
- **for** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-for)
- **fun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fun)
- **fox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fox)
- **fur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fur)
- **fry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fry)
- **FYI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fyi)
- **foo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-foo)
- **fro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fro)
- **FTC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-ftc)
- **FSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fsa)
- **fra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fra)
- **FTP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-ftp)
- **FTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fta)
- **FSB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-fsb)
- **FTW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fog-vs-ftw)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fog