frill

/fɹɪl/

//fɹɪl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“frill” is uncommon English (frequency #65,904 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,904
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A strip of pleated fabric or paper used as decoration or trim.

Corpus desk

Index EN-frill · frill · English

frill · rank #65,904 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,904
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foretell

Nearest frequency peer: foretell (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “frill”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “frill” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for frill
PropertyValue
Headwordfrill
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɹɪl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#65,904
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “frill” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).frillfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “foretell” (#65,902), “fuckface” (#65,906), “Fonder” (#65,901). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “frill” is #65,904. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

frill is uncommon English at frequency #65,904 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /fɹɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

frill doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Of uncertain origin. The correct English form is frill, spelled F-R-I-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A strip of pleated fabric or paper used as decoration or trim.
  2. 2
    A substance or material on the edge of something, resembling such a strip of fabric.
  3. 3
    A wrinkled edge to a film.
  4. 4
    Something extraneous or not essential; something purely for show or effect; a luxury.
  5. 5
    The relatively extensive margin seen on the back of the heads of reptiles, with either a bony support or a cartilaginous one.
  6. 6
    Synonym of armilla.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1777, Samuel Jackson Pratt (as Courtney Melmoth), Liberal Opinions, upon Animals, Man, and Providence, London: G. Robinson and J. Bew, Volume 5, Chapter 114, p. 163, […] one of her husband Jeffery’s shirts (with frills to the bosom) […]
  2. His face had fallen in, and was unshorn; his frill and neckcloth hung limp under his bagging waistcoat.

Etymology

Of uncertain origin.

This word in other languages

volante(Español)froufrou(Français)Rüsche(Deutsch)babado(Português)

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 "frill"?
"frill" is spelled F-R-I-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /fɹɪl/.
What does "frill" mean?
As a noun, "frill" means: A strip of pleated fabric or paper used as decoration or trim.
How do you pronounce "frill"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "frill" is /fɹɪl/. 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 "frill"?
Of uncertain origin. 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 "frill", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Ferri#65,885Gorka#65,927fayre#65,880doody#65,847

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list