fossa

/ˈfɒsə/

//ˈfɒsə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fossa” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,755. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,755
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pit, groove, cavity, or depression.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fossa · fossa · English

fossa · rank #48,755 · 5 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,755
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fortaleza

Nearest frequency peer: Fortaleza (-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 “fossa”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fossa” 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).

fossa vs FSA
0% similar
fossa vs fuss
60% similar
fossa vs fussy
60% similar

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

Key facts for fossa
PropertyValue
Headwordfossa
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɒsə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#48,755
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fossa”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).fossalands 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 “Fortaleza” (#48,754), “Fredo” (#48,756), “foolhardy” (#48,753). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fossa” is #48,755. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around fossa (IPA /ˈfɒsə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,755 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for fossa, with forms such as "ffossa", "fosa", and "fosas". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "FSA", "fuss", "fussy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from Latin fossa (“a ditch, trench, fosse”). Doublet of fosse. The correct English form is fossa, spelled F-O-S-S-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pit, groove, cavity, or depression.
  2. 2
    A long, narrow, shallow depression on the body of an extraterrestrial body, such as a planet or moon.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin fossa (“a ditch, trench, fosse”). Doublet of fosse.

This word in other languages

Vertiefung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffossa
  • fosa
  • fosas
  • fsosa
  • ofssa

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffossa1fosa1fosas2fsosa2ofssa2
Edit distance from "fossa"

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 "fossa"?
"fossa" is spelled F-O-S-S-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɒsə/.
What does "fossa" mean?
As a noun, "fossa" means: A pit, groove, cavity, or depression.
What words are commonly confused with "fossa"?
"fossa" is commonly confused with "FSA", "fuss", "fussy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fossa"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fossa" is /ˈfɒsə/. 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 "fossa"?
Unadapted borrowing from Latin fossa (“a ditch, trench, fosse”). Doublet of fosse. 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 "fossa", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Fredo#48,756fleck#48,748Geist#48,766etude#48,731

Similar misspelling depth

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

Fata5 variantshsien5 variantsices5 variantsInoue5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list