foible
/ˈfɔɪbəl/
"foible" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“foible” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A quirk, idiosyncrasy, frailty, or mannerism; an unusual habit that is slightly strange or silly.
Corpus desk
Index EN-foible · foible · English
foible · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "F" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | foible |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈfɔɪbəl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “foible” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
foible is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfɔɪbəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for foible in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: 1640–50, from Early Modern French foible (“feeble”) (contemporary French faible). Doublet of feeble. The correct English form is foible, spelled F-O-I-B-L-E.
Definition
- 1A quirk, idiosyncrasy, frailty, or mannerism; an unusual habit that is slightly strange or silly.
- 2A weakness or failing of character.
- 3Part of a sword between the middle and the point, weaker than the forte.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how foible appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Try to look past his foibles and see the friendly fellow underneath.
He knew that this was like the sudden impulse of a madman—incongruous even with his habitual foibles.
Etymology
1640–50, from Early Modern French foible (“feeble”) (contemporary French faible). Doublet of feeble.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
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Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.