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” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,119. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,119
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-frail · frail · English

frail · rank #20,119 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,119
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH forearm

Nearest frequency peer: forearm (-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 “frail”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “frail” 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).

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “frail”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).fraillands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “forearm” (#20,118), “fray” (#20,120), “flooring” (#20,117). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “frail” is #20,119. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around frail (IPA /fɹeɪl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,119 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Returne with ſpeed, time paſſeth ſwift away, Our life is fraile, and we may dye to day.
  2. Its nest is composed of the frailest materials, and is light and small in proportion to the size of the bird

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "frail", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fishy#20,116glaze#20,125Cuomo#20,080Macau#20,159

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

harass7 variantshorrid7 variantsHuawei7 variantsClair7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list