frist

/fɹɪst/

//fɹɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“frist” is uncommon English (frequency #60,817 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,817
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A certain space or period of time; respite.

Corpus desk

Index EN-frist · frist · English

frist · rank #60,817 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,817
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fracas

Nearest frequency peer: fracas (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “frist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for frist
PropertyValue
Headwordfrist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɹɪst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#60,817
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “frist” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).fristfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “fracas” (#60,816), “fundy” (#60,818), “forefinger” (#60,814). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “frist” is #60,817. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

frist is uncommon English at frequency #60,817 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /fɹɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

frist doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *frist, frest, first, furst, from Old English fierst (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”), from Proto-Germanic *fristiz, *frestą (“date, appointed time”), from Proto-Indo-European *pres-, *per- (“forward, forth, over, beyond”)… The correct English form is frist, spelled F-R-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A certain space or period of time; respite.
  2. 2
    Time allotted for repayment; a term (in which a debt is to be repaid); a delay; respite; suspension.
  3. 3
    Credit; trust.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His was a short frist (He had a short life).
  2. Yitt they caused the lordis that war vpoun on the panell, that schould have thoalled judgment, to find cautioun everie ane of thame, vnder the paine of certane soumes, to answer at ane certane apoynted to thame. Yitt all thir lordis war verrie blyth, think and that all evill was guid of frist, in speciall the lord David Lindsay was so blyth at his brother…

Etymology

From Middle English *frist, frest, first, furst, from Old English fierst (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”), from Proto-Germanic *fristiz, *frestą (“date, appointed time”), from Proto-Indo-European *pres-, *per- (“forward, forth, over, beyond”). Cognate with North Frisian ferst, frest (“period, time”), German Frist (“period, deadline, term”), Swedish frist (“deadline, respite, reprieve, time-limit”), Icelandic frestur (“period”). See also first.

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 "frist"?
"frist" is spelled F-R-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /fɹɪst/.
What does "frist" mean?
As a noun, "frist" means: A certain space or period of time; respite.
How do you pronounce "frist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "frist" is /fɹɪst/. 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 "frist"?
From Middle English *frist, frest, first, furst, from Old English fierst (“period, space of time, time, respite, truce”), from Proto-Germanic *fristiz, *frestą (“date, appointed time”), from Proto-Indo-European *pres-, *per- (“forward, forth, over... 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 "frist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fundy#60,818gassy#60,823Faulk#60,803gratz#60,836

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list