fugue

/ˈfyɡ/

//ˈfyɡ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fugue” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,254. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,254
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A contrapuntal piece of music wherein a particular melody is played in a number of voices, each voice introduced in turn by playing the melody.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fugue · fugue · English

fugue · rank #40,254 · 6 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,254
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH freemasonry

Nearest frequency peer: freemasonry (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “fugue”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “fugue” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fugue vs fuse
60% similar
fugue vs fume
60% similar
fugue vs future
67% similar

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

Key facts for fugue
PropertyValue
Headwordfugue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfyɡ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#40,254
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fugue”

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).fuguelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “freemasonry” (#40,253), “Gateshead” (#40,257), “floodplain” (#40,250). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fugue” is #40,254. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around fugue (IPA /ˈfyɡ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,254 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for fugue, with forms such as "ffugue", "fguue", and "fugeu". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "fuse", "fume", "future", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French fugue, from Italian fuga (“flight, ardor”), from Latin fuga (“act of fleeing”), from fugiō (“to flee”); compare Ancient Greek φυγή (phugḗ). Apparently from the metaphor that the first part starts alone on its course, and is pursued by l… The correct English form is fugue, spelled F-U-G-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A contrapuntal piece of music wherein a particular melody is played in a number of voices, each voice introduced in turn by playing the melody.
  2. 2
    Anything in literature, poetry, film, painting, etc., that resembles a fugue in structure or in its elaborate complexity and formality.
  3. 3
    A fugue state.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Jacobsen's theory about the empty storehouse is still valid, for a myth never has one meaning only; a myth is a polyphonic fugue of many voices.

Etymology

Borrowed from French fugue, from Italian fuga (“flight, ardor”), from Latin fuga (“act of fleeing”), from fugiō (“to flee”); compare Ancient Greek φυγή (phugḗ). Apparently from the metaphor that the first part starts alone on its course, and is pursued by later parts. Doublet of fuga.

This word in other languages

fuga(Español)fugue(Français)Fuge(Deutsch)fuga(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffugue
  • fguue
  • fugeu
  • fuggue
  • fuuge
  • ufgue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffugue1fguue2fugeu2fuggue1fuuge2ufgue2
Edit distance from "fugue"

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 "fugue"?
"fugue" is spelled F-U-G-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfyɡ/.
What does "fugue" mean?
As a noun, "fugue" means: A contrapuntal piece of music wherein a particular melody is played in a number of voices, each voice introduced in turn by playing the melody.
What words are commonly confused with "fugue"?
"fugue" is commonly confused with "fuse", "fume", "future". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fugue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fugue" is /ˈfyɡ/. 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 "fugue"?
Borrowed from French fugue, from Italian fuga (“flight, ardor”), from Latin fuga (“act of fleeing”), from fugiō (“to flee”); compare Ancient Greek φυγή (phugḗ). Apparently from the metaphor that the first part starts alone on its course, and is pu... 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 "fugue", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

glean#40,264gutsy#40,272hafiz#40,273emcee#40,230

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Keira6 variantsLaban6 variantsLviv6 variantsNagy6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list