furlough

/ˈfɜː.ləʊ/

//ˈfɜː.ləʊ// noun

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

"furlough" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“furlough” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,330. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,330
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A leave of absence or vacation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-furlough · furlough · English

furlough · rank #39,330 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #39,330
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH froth

Nearest frequency peer: froth (-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 “furlough”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “furlough” 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).

furlough vs furlong
75% similar

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

Key facts for furlough
PropertyValue
Headwordfurlough
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɜː.ləʊ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#39,330
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “furlough”

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).furloughlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “froth” (#39,329), “Galatians” (#39,331), “Francophone” (#39,328). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “furlough” is #39,330. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around furlough (IPA /ˈfɜː.ləʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,330 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for furlough, with forms such as "ffurlough", "frulough", and "fulrough". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "furlong", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Dutch verlof (“furlough”), probably from Middle Low German verlōf (“furlough, permission”) (possibly via German Verlaub), from the verb verlōven (“to allow”), from Old Saxon far- + lōvian (“to trust, believe”). From Middle Low German also German Verlau… The correct English form is furlough, spelled F-U-R-L-O-U-G-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A leave of absence or vacation.
  2. 2
    A leave of absence or vacation.
  3. 3
    The documents authorizing such leave.
  4. 4
    A period of unpaid time off, used by an employer to reduce costs.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And I had a lot of things on my mind and I pretty well forgot my promise to Mama until I got shipped home on a special furlough for her funeral.
  2. The state estimates the one-day-a-month furlough spread over the 18 months of the plan would amount to a 5 percent cut in pay.

Etymology

From Dutch verlof (“furlough”), probably from Middle Low German verlōf (“furlough, permission”) (possibly via German Verlaub), from the verb verlōven (“to allow”), from Old Saxon far- + lōvian (“to trust, believe”). From Middle Low German also German Verlaub, Danish forlov. Doublet of leave.

This word in other languages

permiso(Español)congé(Français)Urlaub(Deutsch)licença(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffurlough
  • frulough
  • fulrough
  • furllough
  • furloguh
  • furlouggh
  • furloughh
  • furlouhg
  • furluogh
  • furolugh
  • furrlough
  • ufrlough

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of furlough - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ffurlough1frulough2fulrough2furllough1furloguh2furlouggh1furloughh1furlouhg2
Edit distance from "furlough"

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 "furlough"?
"furlough" is spelled F-U-R-L-O-U-G-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɜː.ləʊ/.
What does "furlough" mean?
As a noun, "furlough" means: A leave of absence or vacation.
What words are commonly confused with "furlough"?
"furlough" is commonly confused with "furlong". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "furlough"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "furlough" is /ˈfɜː.ləʊ/. 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 "furlough"?
From Dutch verlof (“furlough”), probably from Middle Low German verlōf (“furlough, permission”) (possibly via German Verlaub), from the verb verlōven (“to allow”), from Old Saxon far- + lōvian (“to trust, believe”). From Middle Low German also Ger... 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 "furlough", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

galleria#39,333foursome#39,326faintest#39,318hideaway#39,352

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

growths12 variantshilarity12 variantsHolyrood12 variantsKinshasa12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list