fume

/fjuːm/

//fjuːm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“fume” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,384. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,384
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A gas or vapour/vapor that is strong-smelling or dangerous to inhale.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fume · fume · English

fume · rank #45,384 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,384
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH gallium

Nearest frequency peer: gallium (+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 “fume”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “fume” 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).

fume vs fun
50% similar
fume vs fur
50% similar
fume vs fut
50% similar

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

Key facts for fume
PropertyValue
Headwordfume
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fjuːm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#45,384
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “fume”

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).fumelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “gallium” (#45,385), “fucken” (#45,382), “gantry” (#45,386). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fume” is #45,384. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around fume (IPA /fjuːm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,384 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for fume, with forms such as "ffume", "fmue", and "fuem". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fun", "fur", "fut", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fume, from Old French fum (“smoke, steam, vapour”), from Latin fūmus (“vapour, smoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰuh₂mós (“smoke”), from *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust”). Doublet of thymus and thymos. More at dun, dusk, dust. The correct English form is fume, spelled F-U-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gas or vapour/vapor that is strong-smelling or dangerous to inhale.
  2. 2
    A material that has been vaporized from the solid or liquid state to the gas state and re-coalesced to the solid state.
  3. 3
    Rage or excitement which deprives the mind of self-control.
  4. 4
    Anything unsubstantial or airy; idle conceit; vain imagination.
  5. 5
    The incense of praise; inordinate flattery.
  6. 6
    A passionate person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Don't stand around in there breathing the fumes while the adhesive cures.
  2. the fumes of new-shorn hay

Etymology

From Middle English fume, from Old French fum (“smoke, steam, vapour”), from Latin fūmus (“vapour, smoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰuh₂mós (“smoke”), from *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust”). Doublet of thymus and thymos. More at dun, dusk, dust.

This word in other languages

humo(Español)Rauch(Deutsch)vapor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffume
  • fmue
  • fuem
  • fumme
  • ufme

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffume1fmue2fuem2fumme1ufme2
Edit distance from "fume"

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 "fume"?
"fume" is spelled F-U-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fjuːm/.
What does "fume" mean?
As a noun, "fume" means: A gas or vapour/vapor that is strong-smelling or dangerous to inhale.
What words are commonly confused with "fume"?
"fume" 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 "fume"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fume" is /fjuːm/. 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 "fume"?
From Middle English fume, from Old French fum (“smoke, steam, vapour”), from Latin fūmus (“vapour, smoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰuh₂mós (“smoke”), from *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust”). Doublet of thymus and thymos. More at dun, dusk, dust. 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 "fume", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

doon#45,338digi#45,327ICBM#45,441crud#45,306

Similar misspelling depth

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

kobo5 variantskono5 variantsmote5 variantsboho5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list