fools

/fuːlz/

//fuːlz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fools” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,541. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,541
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of fool

Corpus desk

Index EN-fools · fools · English

fools · rank #8,541 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,541
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fourteen

Nearest frequency peer: fourteen (+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 “fools”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fools” 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).

fools vs foot
60% similar
fools vs foul
60% similar
fools vs fowl
60% similar

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

Key facts for fools
PropertyValue
Headwordfools
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fuːlz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#8,541
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fools”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).foolslands 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 “fourteen” (#8,542), “Ferrari” (#8,539), “fu” (#8,543). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fools” is #8,541. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around fools (IPA /fuːlz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,541 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "plural of fool".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for fools, with forms such as "ffools", "folos", and "fols". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "foot", "foul", "fowl", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is fools, spelled F-O-O-L-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of fool

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I am one of those melodramatic fools / Neurotic to the bone, no doubt about it

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffools
  • folos
  • fols
  • foolls
  • foolss
  • foosl
  • ofols

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffools1folos2fols1foolls1foolss1foosl2ofols2
Edit distance from "fools"

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 "fools"?
"fools" is spelled F-O-O-L-S. The IPA pronunciation is /fuːlz/.
What does "fools" mean?
As a noun, "fools" means: plural of fool
What words are commonly confused with "fools"?
"fools" is commonly confused with "foot", "foul", "fowl". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fools"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fools" is /fuːlz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fools" come from?
"fools" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "fools", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

holly#8,555choir#8,522bunny#8,519karma#8,563

Similar misspelling depth

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

gossip7 variantsmasks7 variantspoles7 variantssings7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list