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” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,563. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,563
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Newly produced or obtained; recent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fresh · fresh · English

fresh · rank #1,563 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,563
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fourth

Nearest frequency peer: fourth (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “fresh”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “fresh” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

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.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around fresh (IPA /fɹɛʃ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,563 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He followed the fresh hoofprints to find the deer.
  2. I seem to make fresh mistakes every time I start writing.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

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

count#1,557mouth#1,569owner#1,570brand#1,553

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

remain8 variantssmart8 variantsthrow8 variantssquare8 variants
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