fou

adj

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

"fou" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fou” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #48,244) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#48,244
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Drunk.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fou · fou · English

fou · rank #48,244 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,244
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH forgetfulness

Nearest frequency peer: forgetfulness (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “fou”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “fou” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

fou vs fu
67% similar
fou vs FS
0% similar
fou vs FP
0% similar

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

Key facts for fou
PropertyValue
Headwordfou
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters3
Frequency rank#48,244
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fou” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for fou is neighbouring look-alikes ("fu", "FS", …), not just typos; it is anadjective. Frequency #48,244 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Gloss: "Drunk.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for fou, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fu", "FS", "FP", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Scots fou. Compare full, a doublet. The correct English form is fou, spelled F-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Drunk.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Shand's father had missed the whole thing — getting fou in the pub, more than likely—but his mum had been there, in her best green twinset, her court shoes polished to a shine as high as Shand's.

Etymology

Borrowed from Scots fou. Compare full, a doublet.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fou"?
"fou" is spelled F-O-U.
What does "fou" mean?
As an adjective, "fou" means: Drunk.
What words are commonly confused with "fou"?
"fou" is commonly confused with "fu", "FS", "FP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "fou"?
Borrowed from Scots fou. Compare full, a doublet. 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 "fou", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

GBA#48,250gib#48,254erg#48,222EDL#48,213

What to do next

You've looked up "fou". Here's where to go from here.

  • "fou" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "fu". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #48,244 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list