fullback
/ˈfʊlˌbæk/
"fullback" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“fullback” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,804 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #21,804
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An offensive back whose primary jobs are to block in advance of the halfback on running plays and for the quarterback on passing plays.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | fullback |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈfʊlˌbæk/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #21,804 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “fullback” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for fullback is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfʊlˌbæk/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,804 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for fullback, with forms such as "ffullback", "flulback", and "fulback". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "fallback", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From full + back. The correct English form is fullback, spelled F-U-L-L-B-A-C-K.
Definition
- 1An offensive back whose primary jobs are to block in advance of the halfback on running plays and for the quarterback on passing plays.
- 2A position behind the main line of backs in both rugby union and rugby league. In rugby union, they wear number 15 jersey at the start of play and are the last line of defence responsible for catching punts.
- 3A defensive player who assists the goalie in preventing the opposing team from scoring.
- 4A player who plays on the left or right side of defence.
Etymology
From full + back.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ffullback,flulback,fulback,fulblack,fullabck,fullbacck,fullbackk,fullbakc,fullbback,fullbcak,ufllback
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fullback - 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.
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
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Using “fullback”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-U-L-L-B-A-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈfʊlˌbæk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “fallback” - see the side-by-side comparison. fullback vs fallback
- 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.