# fundamental

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ · frequency rank #4,087

## Definitions
1. A basic truth, elementary concept, principle, rule, or law. An individual fundamental will often serve as a building block used to form a complex idea.
2. A collection of essential component ideas that are often grouped together to serve as the foundational basis of a complex idea.
3. The lowest frequency of a periodic waveform.
4. The lowest partial of a complex tone.

## Etymology
From Late Latin fundamentālis, from Latin fundamentum (“foundation”), from fundō (“to lay the foundation (of something), to found”), from fundus (“bottom”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰudʰmḗn.

## Easily confused with
- **fundamentals** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fundamental-vs-fundamentals)
- **fundamentally** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fundamental-vs-fundamentally)

## Common misspellings (17)
`ffundamental`, `fnudamental`, `fudnamental`, `funadmental`, `fundaemntal`, `fundamenatl`, `fundamenntal`, `fundamentall`, `fundamentla`, `fundamenttal`, `fundametnal`, `fundammental`, `fundamnetal`, `funddamental`, `fundmaental`, `funndamental`, `ufndamental`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fundamental