fondant

/ˈfɒndənt/

//ˈfɒndənt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fondant” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,752. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,752
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A flavored, creamy sugar preparation, used for icing cakes or as a base for candies.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fondant · fondant · English

fondant · rank #48,752 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,752
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH floundering

Nearest frequency peer: floundering (-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 “fondant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fondant” 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).

fondant vs Fontana
57% similar
fondant vs fonda
71% similar

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

Key facts for fondant
PropertyValue
Headwordfondant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɒndənt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#48,752
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fondant”

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).fondantlands 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 “floundering” (#48,751), “foolhardy” (#48,753), “Fortaleza” (#48,754). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fondant” is #48,752. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around fondant (IPA /ˈfɒndənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,752 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for fondant, with forms such as "ffondant", "fnodant", and "fodnant". 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, "Fontana", "fonda", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 19th century. Unadapted borrowing from French fondant (“melting”), from fondre (“to melt”), from Latin fundere (“to melt”). The correct English form is fondant, spelled F-O-N-D-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A flavored, creamy sugar preparation, used for icing cakes or as a base for candies.
  2. 2
    A candy or cake filled with such a preparation.
  3. 3
    A sugar dough, usually prepared as large sheets (rolled fondant), used in place of icing to cover large areas of cakes, composed of sugar, water, gelatin, glycerine.
  4. 4
    Fondue.
  5. 5
    The base or flux, in enamel, which is colored throughout by metallic oxide while in a state of fusion.
  6. 6
    Facial makeup (cosmetics), when used excessively.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To produce most types of fondant, you cook sugar, corn syrup, and water and beat the cooled mixture into a creamy paste. You may find a fondant recipe that includes other ingredients, but the three primary ingredients are the ones listed here.
  2. "Don't!" said Mrs. Mallowe, feebly. "You make my head ache. I'm miserable to-day. Stay me with fondants, comfort me with chocolates[.]"

Etymology

19th century. Unadapted borrowing from French fondant (“melting”), from fondre (“to melt”), from Latin fundere (“to melt”).

This word in other languages

Fondant(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffondant
  • fnodant
  • fodnant
  • fonadnt
  • fondannt
  • fondantt
  • fondatn
  • fonddant
  • fondnat
  • fonndant
  • ofndant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffondant1fnodant2fodnant2fonadnt2fondannt1fondantt1fondatn2fonddant1
Edit distance from "fondant"

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 "fondant"?
"fondant" is spelled F-O-N-D-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɒndənt/.
What does "fondant" mean?
As a noun, "fondant" means: A flavored, creamy sugar preparation, used for icing cakes or as a base for candies.
What words are commonly confused with "fondant"?
"fondant" is commonly confused with "Fontana", "fonda". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fondant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fondant" is /ˈfɒndənt/. 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 "fondant"?
19th century. Unadapted borrowing from French fondant (“melting”), from fondre (“to melt”), from Latin fundere (“to melt”). 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 "fondant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

figment#48,745galleon#48,761Garnier#48,763Gauguin#48,764

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

freeware11 variantsgenitive11 variantsgranary11 variantsenchant11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list