full

/fʊl/

//fʊl// adj

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

"full" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“full” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #262 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#262
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Containing the maximum possible amount that can fit in the space available.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

full vs fun
50% similar
full vs fur
50% similar
full vs fut
50% similar

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

Key facts for full
PropertyValue
Headwordfull
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fʊl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#262
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “full” 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). full 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 full is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fʊl/. Corpus data places it at rank #262 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 19 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for full, with forms such as "ffull", "flul", and "ful". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fun", "fur", "fut", 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 ful, from Old English full (“full”), from Proto-West Germanic *full, from Proto-Germanic *fullaz (“full”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós (“full”). Germanic cognates include West Frisian fol, Low German vull, Dutch vol, German voll, … The correct English form is full, spelled F-U-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Containing the maximum possible amount that can fit in the space available.
  2. 2
    Complete; with nothing omitted.
  3. 3
    Complete; with nothing omitted.
  4. 4
    Complete; with nothing omitted.
  5. 5
    Total, entire.
  6. 6
    Completely empowered, authorized or qualified (in some role); not limited.
  7. 7
    Having eaten to satisfaction, having a "full" stomach; replete.
  8. 8
    Replete, abounding with.
  9. 9
    Carrying as much as possible.
  10. 10
    Plump, round.
  11. 11
    Having its entire face illuminated.
  12. 12
    Of a size that is ample, wide, or having ample folds or pleats to be comfortable.
  13. 13
    Having depth and body; rich.
  14. 14
    Having the mind filled with ideas; stocked with knowledge; stored with information.
  15. 15
    Having the attention, thoughts, etc., absorbed in any matter, and the feelings more or less excited by it.
  16. 16
    Filled with emotions.
  17. 17
    Impregnated; made pregnant.
  18. 18
    Said of the three cards of the same rank in a full house.
  19. 19
    Drunk, intoxicated.

Etymology

From Middle English ful, from Old English full (“full”), from Proto-West Germanic *full, from Proto-Germanic *fullaz (“full”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós (“full”). Germanic cognates include West Frisian fol, Low German vull, Dutch vol, German voll, Danish fuld, and Norwegian and Swedish full (the latter three via Old Norse). Proto-Indo-European cognates include English plenty (via Latin, compare plēnus), Welsh llawn, Russian по́лный (pólnyj), Lithuanian pilnas, Persian پر (por), Sanskrit पूर्ण (pūrṇá). See also fele and Scots fou (whence the English doublet fou (“drunk”)). For the "drunk, intoxicated" sense, compare also Swedish full and other Scandinavian languages.

Synonyms

aboundingbrimfulburstingchock-a-blockchock-fullfull upfull to burstingfull to overflowingjam fulljammedjam-packedladenloadedoverflowingpackedrammedstuffedpregnantcompletethoroughentiretotalgluttedgorgedsatedsatiatesatiatedsatisfiedstuffedbaggybiglargelooseoutsizedoversizedvoluminousdrunk

Antonyms

emptyincompletepartialemptyhungrystarvingclose-fittingsmalltighttight-fitting

This word in other languages

lleno(Español)plein(Français)voll(Deutsch)cheio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffull,flul,ful,ufll

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of full - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ffull1flul2ful1ufll2
Edit distance from "full"

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 "full"?
"full" is spelled F-U-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /fʊl/.
What does "full" mean?
As an adjective, "full" means: Containing the maximum possible amount that can fit in the space available.
What words are commonly confused with "full"?
"full" is commonly confused with "fun", "fur", "fut". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "full"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "full" is /fʊl/. 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 "full"?
From Middle English ful, from Old English full (“full”), from Proto-West Germanic *full, from Proto-Germanic *fullaz (“full”), from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁nós (“full”). Germanic cognates include West Frisian fol, Low German vull, Dutch vol, Ger... 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 “full”

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

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