funnel
/ˈfʌnəl/
"funnel" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“funnel” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,618 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #15,618
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 10
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A utensil in the shape of an inverted hollow cone terminating in a narrow pipe, for channeling liquids or granular material; typically used when transferring said substances from any container into...
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 | funnel |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈfʌnəl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #15,618 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 10 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “funnel” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for funnel is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfʌnəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,618 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 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for funnel, with forms such as "ffunnel", "fnunel", and "funel". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "funny", "funnier", "funnily", 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 funell, fonel, probably through Old French *founel (compare Middle French fonel, Old Occitan fonilh, enfounilh), from Latin fundibulum, infundibulum (“funnel”), from infundere (“to pour in”); in (“in”) + fundere (“to pour”); compare Bret… The correct English form is funnel, spelled F-U-N-N-E-L.
Definition
- 1A utensil in the shape of an inverted hollow cone terminating in a narrow pipe, for channeling liquids or granular material; typically used when transferring said substances from any container into ones with a significantly smaller opening.
- 2A passage or avenue for a fluid or flowing substance; specifically, a smoke flue or pipe; the chimney of a steamship or the like.
- 3Ellipsis of purchase funnel (“the process of customer acquisition conceptualized as a series of stages, from initial awareness (top) to sale or conversion (bottom)”).
- 4Ellipsis of funnel cloud.
Etymology
From Middle English funell, fonel, probably through Old French *founel (compare Middle French fonel, Old Occitan fonilh, enfounilh), from Latin fundibulum, infundibulum (“funnel”), from infundere (“to pour in”); in (“in”) + fundere (“to pour”); compare Breton founilh (“funnel”), Welsh ffynel (“air hole, chimney”). See fuse.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ffunnel,fnunel,funel,funenl,funnell,funnle,ufnnel
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of funnel - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 “funnel”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-U-N-N-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈfʌnəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “funny” - see the side-by-side comparison. funnel vs funny
- 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.