fable

\fabl\

/\fabl\/ noun

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

The verdict

“fable” has 7 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #16,129. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,129
frequency rank, French
3,276
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Ce que l’on dit, ce que l’on raconte.

Corpus desk

Index FR-fable · fable · French

fable · rank #16,129 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,129
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,276
  • PHOTO-FINISH fertile

Nearest frequency peer: fertile (+1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “fable”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “fable” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

fable vs fle
60% similar
fable vs face
60% similar
fable vs file
60% similar

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

Key facts for fable
PropertyValue
Headwordfable
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fabl\
Letters5
Frequency rank#16,129
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Où “fable” se place dans la fréquence du français

La fréquence va de la poignée de mots du quotidien (gauche) à la longue queue presque jamais vue (droite).fablese place ici:

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

Les tics avancent en logarithme; chacun est de l'ordre de dix fois plus rare. Dans la même bande de rareté figurent « fertile » (#16,130), « exercée » (#16,127), « figurines » (#16,131). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around fable (IPA \fabl\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,129 among 3,276 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for fable, with forms such as "afble", "fabble", and "fabel". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fle", "face", "file", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is fable, spelled F-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ce que l’on dit, ce que l’on raconte.
  2. 2
    Sujet de malins récits.
  3. 3
    Récit imaginaire, c’est-à-dire d’imagination.
  4. 4
    Fausseté ; mensonge ; chose controuvée.
  5. 5
    Récit ayant un caractère mythologique quelconque.
  6. 6
    Récit relatif aux divinités du paganisme.
  7. 7
    Les fables du paganisme, de l’antiquité païenne : Se prend, dans un sens collectif, pour toutes les fables de l’antiquité païenne.
  8. 8
    En poésie épique et dramatique, la suite des faits qui forment une pièce, en tant qu’elle est un travail d’imagination. Sujet d’un poème épique, d’un poème dramatique, d’un roman.
  9. 9
    Apologue, récit en prose ou en vers dans lequel on exprime une vérité, une moralité sous le voile de quelque fiction. Petit récit qui cache une moralité sous le voile d’une fiction et dans lequel d’ordinaire les animaux sont les personnages.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Être la fable du peuple, la fable de tout le monde, la fable de la ville : être le sujet des propos, des risées populaires.
  2. Si la science pauvre, affreuse et mesprisée Sert au peuple de fable, aux plus grands de risée.

Synonyms

fabulation

This word in other languages

fable(English)apólogo(Español)Fabel(Deutsch)fábula(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • afble
  • fabble
  • fabel
  • fablle
  • falbe
  • fbale
  • ffable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fable - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

afble2fabble1fabel2fablle1falbe2fbale2ffable1
Edit distance from "fable"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fable"?
"fable" is spelled F-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \fabl\.
What does "fable" mean?
As a noun, "fable" means: Ce que l’on dit, ce que l’on raconte.
What words are commonly confused with "fable"?
"fable" is commonly confused with "fle", "face", "file". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fable" is \fabl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fable" come from?
"fable" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "fable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gangs#16,141douai#16,113curie#16,106jetez#16,164

Similar misspelling depth

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

effigie7 variantscommise7 variantsledit7 variantsLydia7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "fable". Here's where to go from here.

  • "fable" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "fle". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #16,129 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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