fin

\fɛ̃\

/\fɛ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“fin” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #168) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#168
frequency rank, French
3,276
“F” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Ce qui termine une chose, en marque la limite, en est l'extrémité.

Corpus desk

Index FR-fin · fin · French

fin · rank #168 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #168
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,276
  • PHOTO-FINISH bonne

Nearest frequency peer: bonne (-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 “fin”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “fin” 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).

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

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

Key facts for fin
PropertyValue
Headwordfin
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fɛ̃\
Letters3
Frequency rank#168
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fin” 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). fin lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for fin is neighbouring look-alikes ("FN", "fo", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced \fɛ̃\. Frequency #168 among 3,276 “F” headwords. 5 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

fin doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is fin, spelled F-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ce qui termine une chose, en marque la limite, en est l'extrémité.
  2. 2
    Terme, point ultime de ce qui a une durée, une étendue.
  3. 3
    Cessation, interruption ; moment où quelque chose s'achève.
  4. 4
    Mort.
  5. 5
    Objectif ; finalité.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ce butoir marque la fin de la voie ferrée.
  2. Je vous verrai avant la fin de l'année.

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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "fin"?
"fin" is spelled F-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is \fɛ̃\.
What does "fin" mean?
As a noun, "fin" means: Ce qui termine une chose, en marque la limite, en est l'extrémité.
What words are commonly confused with "fin"?
"fin" 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 "fin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fin" is \fɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fin" come from?
"fin" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 "fin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

What to do next

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

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