pull a fast one
"pull-a-fast-one" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“pull a fast one” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 15
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To carry out a trick or act of deception; to behave contrary to expectations.
Corpus desk
Index EN-pull-a-fast-one · pull a fast one · English
pull a fast one · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 15 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "P" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pull a fast one |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “pull a fast one” in English
Rare enough to double-check
pull a fast one is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To carry out a trick or act of deception; to behave contrary to expectations.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for pull a fast one, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is pull a fast one, spelled P-U-L-L- -A- -F-A-S-T- -O-N-E.
Definition
- 1To carry out a trick or act of deception; to behave contrary to expectations.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how pull a fast one appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
This isn't worth anything like what you paid them. I think they pulled a fast one on you.
I haven't forgotten the way you tried to pull a fast one over me when you first came here—over the Jaintiapur plantation that I had wanted for some time.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.