fox

/fɒks/

//fɒks// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fox” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,204 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,204
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fox vs fu
33% similar
fox vs FS
0% similar
fox vs FP
0% similar

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

Key facts for fox
PropertyValue
Headwordfox
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɒks/
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,204
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fox” 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). fox lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for fox is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɒks/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,204 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

fox doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fu", "FS", "FP", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *púḱsos Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz Old English fox Middle English fox English fox From Middle English fox, from Old English fox (“fox”), from Proto-West Germanic *fuhs, from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz (“fox”), from Proto-Indo-Euro… The correct English form is fox, spelled F-O-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
  2. 2
    A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
  3. 3
    A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
  4. 4
    The fur of a fox.
  5. 5
    A fox terrier.
  6. 6
    A flying fox.
  7. 7
    The gemmeous dragonet, a fish, Callionymus lyra, so called from its yellow color.
  8. 8
    A cunning person.
  9. 9
    A physically attractive person, typically a woman.
  10. 10
    A person with reddish brown hair, typically a woman.
  11. 11
    A small strand of rope made by twisting several rope-yarns together. Used for seizings, mats, sennits, and gaskets.
  12. 12
    A wedge driven into the split end of a bolt to tighten it.
  13. 13
    A hidden radio transmitter, finding which is the goal of radiosport.
  14. 14
    The fourteenth Lenormand card.
  15. 15
    A sword; so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox.
  16. 16
    Air-to-air weapon launched.
  17. 17
    Someone who fuses many different influences and concepts in their philosophy or worldview.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *púḱsos Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz Old English fox Middle English fox English fox From Middle English fox, from Old English fox (“fox”), from Proto-West Germanic *fuhs, from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz (“fox”), from Proto-Indo-European *púḱsos (“the tailed one”), possibly from *puḱ- (“tail”). Cognate with Scots fox (“fox”), North Frisian foos, fos (“fox”), Saterland Frisian Foaks (“fox”), West Frisian foks (“fox”), Dutch vos (“fox”), Low German vos (“fox”), German Fuchs (“fox”), Icelandic fóa (“fox”), Tocharian B päkā (“tail, chowrie”), Russian пух (pux, “down, fluff”), Sanskrit पुच्छ (púccha) (whence Torwali پوش (pūš, “fox”), Hindi पूंछ (pūñch, “tail”)). Philosophical sense from the 1953 essay The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaiah Berlin. Military aviation sense from the pre-NATO military spelling alphabet where Fox represented F and was short for 'to fire'.

This word in other languages

zorro(Español)renard(Français)Fuchs(Deutsch)raposa(Português)

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 "fox"?
"fox" is spelled F-O-X. The IPA pronunciation is /fɒks/.
What does "fox" mean?
As a noun, "fox" means: A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
What words are commonly confused with "fox"?
"fox" is commonly confused with "fu", "FS", "FP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fox"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fox" is /fɒks/. 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 "fox"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *púḱsos Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz Old English fox Middle English fox English fox From Middle English fox, from Old English fox (“fox”), from Proto-West Germanic *fuhs, from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz (“fox”), from Proto... 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.

Using “fox”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-O-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fɒks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “fu” - see the side-by-side comparison. fox vs fu
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list