# fossa

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈfɒsə/ · frequency rank #48,755

## Definitions
1. A pit, groove, cavity, or depression.
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.

## Easily confused with
- **FSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fossa-vs-fsa)
- **fuss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fossa-vs-fuss)
- **fussy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fossa-vs-fussy)
- **fossil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fossa-vs-fossil)
- **foes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foes-vs-fossa)
- **FISA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fisa-vs-fossa)
- **FOIA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foia-vs-fossa)
- **FOSS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foss-vs-fossa)
- **fora** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fora-vs-fossa)
- **fess** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fess-vs-fossa)
- **floss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/floss-vs-fossa)
- **fonda** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fonda-vs-fossa)
- **FAFSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fafsa-vs-fossa)

## Common misspellings (5)
`ffossa`, `fosa`, `fosas`, `fsosa`, `ofssa`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fossa