font

/fɒnt/

//fɒnt// noun

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

"font" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“font” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,611. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,611
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A receptacle in a church for holy water, especially one used in baptism.

Corpus desk

Index EN-font · font · English

font · rank #9,611 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,611
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flush

Nearest frequency peer: flush (-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 “font”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “font” 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).

font vs for
50% similar
font vs fun
50% similar
font vs fox
50% similar

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

Key facts for font
PropertyValue
Headwordfont
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɒnt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,611
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “font”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).fontlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “flush” (#9,610), “freestyle” (#9,612), “fletcher” (#9,609). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “font” is #9,611. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around font (IPA /fɒnt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,611 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for font, with forms such as "ffont", "fnot", and "fonnt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "for", "fun", "fox", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old English font, an early borrowing from Latin fōns, fontis (“fountain”). The correct English form is font, spelled F-O-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A receptacle in a church for holy water, especially one used in baptism.
  2. 2
    A receptacle for lamp oil in a lamp.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She dipped her fingers in the font and crossed herself.
  2. Blessed be God, that, at the font, /⁠ My sponsors bound me to the call / Of Christ in England to confront / The world, the flesh, the fiend and all.

Etymology

From Old English font, an early borrowing from Latin fōns, fontis (“fountain”).

This word in other languages

pila(Español)fonts(Français)Weihwasserbecken(Deutsch)pia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffont
  • fnot
  • fonnt
  • fontt
  • fotn
  • ofnt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of font - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ffont1fnot2fonnt1fontt1fotn2ofnt2
Edit distance from "font"

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 "font"?
"font" is spelled F-O-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /fɒnt/.
What does "font" mean?
As a noun, "font" means: A receptacle in a church for holy water, especially one used in baptism.
What words are commonly confused with "font"?
"font" is commonly confused with "for", "fun", "fox". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "font"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "font" is /fɒnt/. 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 "font"?
From Old English font, an early borrowing from Latin fōns, fontis (“fountain”). 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 "font", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

glue#9,613Lyon#9,625crow#9,590Modi#9,636

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

fatty6 variantsMaggie6 variantsounce6 variantscans6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list