frail

/fɹeɪl/

//fɹeɪl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“frail” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,119 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#20,119
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

frail vs Fran
40% similar
frail vs fray
60% similar
frail vs frat
60% similar

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

Key facts for frail
PropertyValue
Headwordfrail
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fɹeɪl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#20,119
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “frail” 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). frail 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 frail is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɹeɪl/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,119 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for frail, with forms such as "faril", "ffrail", and "fraill". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Fran", "fray", "frat", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English frele, fraill, from Old French fraile, from Latin fragilis. Cognate to fraction, fracture, and doublet of fragile. The correct English form is frail, spelled F-R-A-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish.
  2. 2
    Weak; infirm.
  3. 3
    In an infirm state leading one to be easily subject to disease or other health problems, especially regarding the elderly.
  4. 4
    Mentally fragile.
  5. 5
    Liable to fall from virtue or be led into sin; not strong against temptation; weak in resolution; unchaste.

Etymology

From Middle English frele, fraill, from Old French fraile, from Latin fragilis. Cognate to fraction, fracture, and doublet of fragile.

This word in other languages

frágil(Español)fragile(Français)gebrechlich(Deutsch)frágil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: faril,ffrail,fraill,frali,frial,frrail,rfail

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

faril2ffrail1fraill1frali2frial2frrail1rfail2
Edit distance from "frail"

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 "frail"?
"frail" is spelled F-R-A-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /fɹeɪl/.
What does "frail" mean?
As an adjective, "frail" means: Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish.
What words are commonly confused with "frail"?
"frail" is commonly confused with "Fran", "fray", "frat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "frail"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "frail" is /fɹeɪl/. 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 "frail"?
From Middle English frele, fraill, from Old French fraile, from Latin fragilis. Cognate to fraction, fracture, and doublet of fragile. 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 “frail”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-R-A-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fɹeɪl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Fran” - see the side-by-side comparison. frail vs Fran
  • 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