futile

/ˈfjuː.taɪl/

//ˈfjuː.taɪl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“futile” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,367. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,367
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Incapable of producing results, useless; doomed not to be successful; not worth attempting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-futile · futile · English

futile · rank #17,367 · 8 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,367
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH genera

Nearest frequency peer: genera (+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 “futile”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “futile” 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).

futile vs future
67% similar
futile vs file
67% similar
futile vs fumble
67% similar

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

Key facts for futile
PropertyValue
Headwordfutile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfjuː.taɪl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,367
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “futile”

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).futilelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “genera” (#17,368), “freaky” (#17,365), “fairs” (#17,364). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “futile” is #17,367. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around futile (IPA /ˈfjuː.taɪl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #17,367 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for futile, with forms such as "ffutile", "ftuile", and "fuitle". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "future", "file", "fumble", 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 French futile, from Latin fūtilis. The correct English form is futile, spelled F-U-T-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Incapable of producing results, useless; doomed not to be successful; not worth attempting.
  2. 2
    Insignificant; frivolous.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But Bathsheba, though she could feel, was not much given to futile dreaming, and her musings under this head were short and entirely confined to the times when Troy’s neglect was more than ordinarily evident.
  2. He seemed hitherto to have been living by proxy, in a vision, in reflection—to have been an echo, a shadow, a futile attempt;[…]

Etymology

From Middle French futile, from Latin fūtilis.

Synonyms

uselessbootlessbarrenfutilefruitlessgainlessidleinaneineffectualinefficaciousinutilepointlessprofitlesspurposelessunavailingunprofitableunusefulunutilizablevainvoid

Antonyms

effectualeffectivefruitfulworthwhile

This word in other languages

fútil(Español)futile(Français)sinnlos(Deutsch)fútil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffutile
  • ftuile
  • fuitle
  • futiel
  • futille
  • futlie
  • futtile
  • uftile

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of futile - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ffutile1ftuile2fuitle2futiel2futille1futlie2futtile1uftile2
Edit distance from "futile"

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 "futile"?
"futile" is spelled F-U-T-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfjuː.taɪl/.
What does "futile" mean?
As an adjective, "futile" means: Incapable of producing results, useless; doomed not to be successful; not worth attempting.
What words are commonly confused with "futile"?
"futile" is commonly confused with "future", "file", "fumble". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "futile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "futile" is /ˈfjuː.taɪl/. 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 "futile"?
From Middle French futile, from Latin fūtilis. 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 "futile", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

genera#17,368freaky#17,365glands#17,371gloomy#17,372

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

gritty8 variantsencore8 variantsdeacon8 variantsDamian8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list