funnel

/ˈfʌnəl/

//ˈfʌnəl// noun

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

"funnel" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“funnel” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,618. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,618
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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...

Corpus desk

Index EN-funnel · funnel · English

funnel · rank #15,618 · 7 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,618
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Friedman

Nearest frequency peer: Friedman (-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 “funnel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “funnel” 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).

funnel vs funny
67% similar
funnel vs funnier
71% similar
funnel vs funnily
71% similar

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

Key facts for funnel
PropertyValue
Headwordfunnel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfʌnəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,618
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “funnel”

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).funnellands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Friedman” (#15,617), “Gail” (#15,619), “Freud” (#15,616). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “funnel” is #15,618. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around funnel (IPA /ˈfʌnəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,618 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    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 ones with a significantly smaller opening.
  2. 2
    A passage or avenue for a fluid or flowing substance; specifically, a smoke flue or pipe; the chimney of a steamship or the like.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of purchase funnel (“the process of customer acquisition conceptualized as a series of stages, from initial awareness (top) to sale or conversion (bottom)”).
  4. 4
    Ellipsis of funnel cloud.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. top of (the) funnel marketing
  2. Then there's the funnel. Marketing usually spends most of their time at the top of the funnel with a quantity strategy. On the other hand, Sales spends their time trying to convert, accelerate, or close accounts that are in the middle or bottom of the funnel.

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

embudo(Español)entonnoir(Français)Trichter(Deutsch)funil(Português)

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.

ffunnel1fnunel2funel1funenl2funnell1funnle2ufnnel2
Edit distance from "funnel"

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 "funnel"?
"funnel" is spelled F-U-N-N-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfʌnəl/.
What does "funnel" mean?
As a noun, "funnel" means: 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...
What words are commonly confused with "funnel"?
"funnel" is commonly confused with "funny", "funnier", "funnily". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "funnel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "funnel" is /ˈfʌnəl/. 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 "funnel"?
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”); co... 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 "funnel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fiancé#15,612grumpy#15,624halves#15,626doping#15,602

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Freud7 variantsDillon7 variantsleash7 variantsmanned7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list