fresh

/fɹɛʃ/

//fɹɛʃ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“fresh” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,563 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,563
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Newly produced or obtained; recent.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fresh vs fret
60% similar
fresh vs Frey
40% similar
fresh vs frost
60% similar

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

Key facts for fresh
PropertyValue
Headwordfresh
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fɹɛʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,563
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fresh” 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). fresh 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 fresh is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɹɛʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,563 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for fresh, with forms such as "fersh", "ffresh", and "frehs". 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, "fret", "Frey", "frost", 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 fressh, from Old English fersċ (“fresh, pure, sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *frisk (“fresh”), from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (“fresh”), from Proto-Indo-European *preysk- (“fresh”). The verb is from Middle English freshen (“to freshen”)… The correct English form is fresh, spelled F-R-E-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Newly produced or obtained; recent.
  2. 2
    Of food, not dried, frozen, or spoiled.
  3. 3
    Of plant material, still green and not dried.
  4. 4
    Invigoratingly cool and refreshing.
  5. 5
    Of water, without salt; not saline.
  6. 6
    Rested; not tired or fatigued.
  7. 7
    In a raw or untried state; uncultured; unpracticed.
  8. 8
    Youthful; florid.
  9. 9
    Good, fashionable.
  10. 10
    Tipsy; drunk.

Etymology

From Middle English fressh, from Old English fersċ (“fresh, pure, sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *frisk (“fresh”), from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (“fresh”), from Proto-Indo-European *preysk- (“fresh”). The verb is from Middle English freshen (“to freshen”), from the adjective. Cognate with Scots fresch (“fresh”), West Frisian farsk (“fresh”), Dutch vers (“fresh”), Walloon frexh (“fresh”), German frisch (“fresh”), French frais (“fresh”), Norwegian and Danish frisk (“fresh”), fersk, Icelandic ferskur (“fresh”), Lithuanian prėskas (“unflavoured, tasteless, fresh”), Russian пре́сный (présnyj, “sweet, fresh, unleavened, tasteless”). Doublet of fresco and frisk. Slang sense possibly shortened form of “fresh out the pack”, 1980s routine by Grand Wizzard Theodore.

This word in other languages

nuevo(Español)nouveau(Français)frisch(Deutsch)fresco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: fersh,ffresh,frehs,freshh,fressh,frresh,frseh,rfesh

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fersh2ffresh1frehs2freshh1fressh1frresh1frseh2rfesh2
Edit distance from "fresh"

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 "fresh"?
"fresh" is spelled F-R-E-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /fɹɛʃ/.
What does "fresh" mean?
As an adjective, "fresh" means: Newly produced or obtained; recent.
What words are commonly confused with "fresh"?
"fresh" is commonly confused with "fret", "Frey", "frost". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fresh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fresh" is /fɹɛʃ/. 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 "fresh"?
From Middle English fressh, from Old English fersċ (“fresh, pure, sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *frisk (“fresh”), from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (“fresh”), from Proto-Indo-European *preysk- (“fresh”). The verb is from Middle English freshen (“to... 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 “fresh”

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

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