fur

/fɜː/

//fɜː// noun

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

"fur" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fur” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,789 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,789
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The hairy coat of various mammal species, especially when fine, soft and thick.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

fur vs FW
0% similar
fur vs fy
33% similar
fur vs FYI
0% similar

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

Key facts for fur
PropertyValue
Headwordfur
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɜː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#6,789
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fur” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). fur lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for fur is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɜː/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,789 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for fur in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FW", "fy", "FYI", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English furre, forre, from Anglo-Norman forre, fuerre (“a case; sheath”), from Frankish *fōdar, from Proto-West Germanic *fōdr, from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“sheath”) (compare Old English fōdor (“sheaf”), Dutch voering (“lining”), German Futter (… The correct English form is fur, spelled F-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The hairy coat of various mammal species, especially when fine, soft and thick.
  2. 2
    The hairy skins of animals used as a material for clothing.
  3. 3
    An animal pelt used to make, trim or line clothing.
  4. 4
    A garment made of fur.
  5. 5
    A coating or lining resembling fur in function and/or appearance.
  6. 6
    A coating or lining resembling fur in function and/or appearance.
  7. 7
    A coating or lining resembling fur in function and/or appearance.
  8. 8
    A coating or lining resembling fur in function and/or appearance.
  9. 9
    One of several patterns or diapers used as tinctures, such as ermine and vair.
  10. 10
    Rabbits and hares, as opposed to partridges and pheasants (called feathers).
  11. 11
    A furry, a member of the furry fandom.
  12. 12
    Human body hair, especially when abundant.
  13. 13
    Pubic hair.
  14. 14
    Sexual attractiveness.

Etymology

From Middle English furre, forre, from Anglo-Norman forre, fuerre (“a case; sheath”), from Frankish *fōdar, from Proto-West Germanic *fōdr, from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“sheath”) (compare Old English fōdor (“sheaf”), Dutch voering (“lining”), German Futter (“lining”), Gothic 𐍆𐍉𐌳𐍂 (fōdr, “sheath”)), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂-, *poh₂- (“to protect”) (compare Lithuanian piemuō (“protection”), Ancient Greek πῶῠ̈ (pôŭ̈, “flock”), πῶμα (pôma, “lid”), ποιμήν (poimḗn, “shepherd”), Old Armenian հաւրան (hawran, “herd, flock”), Northern Kurdish pawan (“to watch over”), Sanskrit पाति (pāti, “he watches, protects”). The verb is from Middle English furren, from Anglo-Norman furrer, forrer, fourrer (“to line, stuff, fill”), from the noun.

This word in other languages

pelo(Español)fourrure(Français)Fell(Deutsch)pelo(Português)

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 "fur"?
"fur" is spelled F-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /fɜː/.
What does "fur" mean?
As a noun, "fur" means: The hairy coat of various mammal species, especially when fine, soft and thick.
What words are commonly confused with "fur"?
"fur" is commonly confused with "FW", "fy", "FYI". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fur" is /fɜː/. 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 "fur"?
From Middle English furre, forre, from Anglo-Norman forre, fuerre (“a case; sheath”), from Frankish *fōdar, from Proto-West Germanic *fōdr, from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“sheath”) (compare Old English fōdor (“sheaf”), Dutch voering (“lining”), Germa... 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.

Using “fur”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fɜː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “FW” - see the side-by-side comparison. fur vs FW
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list