fun
/fʌn/noun, adjective, verb
fun is spelled F-U-N: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 200 times per million words in written English, the 505th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fun means “Amusement, enjoyment or pleasure” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fun?
| Letters | 3: F-U-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 200 times per million words; the 505th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is fun?
Fun appears 200 times per million words in written English, the 505th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce fun?
- US /fʌn/
- /fʊn/
Fun has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-fun.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with fun?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as fun from its last stressed vowel (/ʌn/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of fun
- more fun comparative
- funner comparative, informal
- most fun superlative
- funnest informal, superlative
- funs present, singular, he/she/it
- funning participle, present
- funned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fun mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Amusement, enjoyment or pleasure.
- 2
Playful, often noisy, activity.
adjective
- 1
Enjoyable or amusing.
We had a fun time at the party.
- 2
informalWhimsical or flamboyant.
This year's fashion style is much more fun than recent seasons.
verb
- 1
colloquialTo tease, kid, poke fun at, make fun of.
Hey, don't get bent out of shape over it; I was just funning you.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fun in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | amusement , amusant , amuser |
| German | Amüsement, Gaudi, Spaß, Vergnügen, Vergnügung , lustig |
| Portuguese | divertimento, diversão , divertido |
| Spanish | diversión, gracia, trebejo, divertimento, divertimiento , divertido |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does fun come from?
From Middle English fonne, fon (“foolish, simple, silly”) or fonnen (“make a fool of”), from Middle English fonne (“a fool, dupe”), probably of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish fånig (“foolish”), Swedish fåne (“a fool”), from Old Norse fáni (“vain person, swaggerer”), but of unknown ultimate origin. Perhaps related to or influenced by fjäll (“rock, cliff, mountain”). Compare also English fumble, Norwegian Nynorsk fomme (“clumsy fool”). Compare also Norwegian fomme, fume (“a fool”). More at fon, fond.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).