fer

\fɛʁ\

/\fɛʁ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“fer” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,262 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,262
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Élément chimique de numéro atomique 26 et de symbole Fe qui fait partie des métaux de transition.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fer vs FN
0% similar
fer vs fo
33% similar
fer vs fm
33% similar

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

Key facts for fer
PropertyValue
Headwordfer
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fɛʁ\
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,262
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fer” sits in French 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). fer 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 French entry for fer is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fɛʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,262 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 18 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

fer doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "FN", "fo", "fm", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is fer, spelled F-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Élément chimique de numéro atomique 26 et de symbole Fe qui fait partie des métaux de transition.
  2. 2
    Corps simple métallique de cet élément, blanc grisâtre, ductile et malléable.
  3. 3
    Acier ne durcissant pas par trempe (acier doux, à faible teneur en carbone).
  4. 4
    Minéral contenant du fer.
  5. 5
    Substance ferrugineuse contenue dans certains aliments et indispensable au bon fonctionnement des organismes biologiques.
  6. 6
    Météorite de type sidérite, constituée essentiellement de fer et de nickel.
  7. 7
    Objet en fer.
  8. 8
    Lame d’une arme ou d’un outil.
  9. 9
    Fer-à-cheval, bande recourbée en fer formant une semelle, que l’on fixe sous la face inférieure du pied du cheval et de quelques autres bêtes de somme.
  10. 10
    Entraves ; chaînes ; menottes.
  11. 11
    Esclavage, état d’oppression.
  12. 12
    Club de golf à tête métallique, pour frapper la balle à distance longue ou intermédiaire.
  13. 13
    Profilé métallique obtenu par laminage ou étirage.
  14. 14
    Parties métalliques d’un composteur touchant la première et la dernière lettre en plomb, d’où les expressions fer à gauche et fer à droite désignant l’appui de la première lettre dans une ligne et ainsi l’alignement d’un texte en bout de justification à gauche et à droite. Ces expressions sont restées pour la photocomposition.
  15. 15
    Fer à repasser.
  16. 16
    Chemin de fer.
  17. 17
    Voir de fer.
  18. 18
    Nom donné à des truelles très fines utilisées pour lisser les joints.

Synonyms

Fe♂

This word in other languages

iron(English)hierro(Español)Eisen(Deutsch)ferro(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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fer"?
"fer" is spelled F-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \fɛʁ\.
What does "fer" mean?
As a noun, "fer" means: Élément chimique de numéro atomique 26 et de symbole Fe qui fait partie des métaux de transition.
What words are commonly confused with "fer"?
"fer" is commonly confused with "FN", "fo", "fm". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fer" is \fɛʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fer" come from?
"fer" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “fer”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is F-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \fɛʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “FN” - see the side-by-side comparison. fer vs FN
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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