# frail

> English word · Adjective · IPA /fɹeɪl/ · frequency rank #20,119

## Definitions
1. Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish.
2. Weak; infirm.
3. In an infirm state leading one to be easily subject to disease or other health problems, especially regarding the elderly.
4. Mentally fragile.
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.

## Easily confused with
- **Fran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-fran)
- **fray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-fray)
- **frat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-frat)
- **Frau** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-frau)
- **frank** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-frank)
- **frame** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-frame)
- **fruit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-fruit)
- **fraud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-fraud)
- **Franz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-franz)
- **franc** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-franc)
- **Frans** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-frans)
- **frailty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/frail-vs-frailty)
- **fil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fil-vs-frail)
- **fra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fra-vs-frail)
- **fal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fal-vs-frail)
- **fall** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fall-vs-frail)
- **fair** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fair-vs-frail)
- **fail** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fail-vs-frail)
- **FOIL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foil-vs-frail)
- **foal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-frail)

## Common misspellings (7)
`faril`, `ffrail`, `fraill`, `frali`, `frial`, `frrail`, `rfail`

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