English spellings/Catalogs/F
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| Common misspellings |
This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with F. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.
For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.[e]
F *éff
fábulous *fábyələss
façàde or facàde *fəsàd
fâcelift one word
fácét
facêtious *fəsêeshəss
fácîle
"facism", cf. râcism, fâce and râce, is a misspelling of fáscism *fáshism
facsímilê
fáction *fácshən, cf. fáshion
Fàhd = Fàhad
Fáhrenheît
fâilsafe one word
fâint dim, unconscious = fèint pretend, writing
fãir justice, pretty, fun- = fãre serving, money = fãyre winter
fãiry (fãerie is an archaic variant), cf. férry
fait accomplì *fétəcom-plì
fâithful = Fâithfull
fâkír BrE, AmE *fəkír
fålcon (l may be silent); some AmE: fálcon
fålconer = Fålconer = Fåulkner
Fålklands
fåll-òut noun
Fålstaff
fámily *fámly
fámíne, cf. ravìne, sâlîne
Fárage: pronounce it to rhyme with however you say gárage, says Nigel
fàraway adjective before noun, one word, cf. ít’s toô fàr awây
fàrcical
fãre travel, food = fãir
farewéll
Fãroe Islands = Fãeroe alternative spelling = Phãroah Egypt
Faroêse = Faeroêse alternative spelling
fàr-rêaching
Fàrquhar *Fàrkwer, *Fàrker
fàrther further BrE = fàther dad
fâscia *fâyshə
fáscicle fáss-
fáscinate fáss-
fáscist *fáshist, cf. râcist
fáshion *fáshən, rhymes with rátion, cf. fáction, fáscism
fāst
fāsten *fāssən
Fátah Palestine = BrE fátter fat
fâtal
fatálity
fâte destiny = fète celebrate, garden
fáthéad as if two words
fátwà
fåucet tap = Fåwcett person
fåulty fault = Fåwlty Towers
fåun goat-god = fåwn
fåuna
Fåuntleroy, e as schwa
Fàùst *Fòwst
fauve, fauvism fô-
faux false = fôe enemy
faux-pas *fô-pà
fåwn grovel, colour, deer = fåun
favéla
fâvourite -vr- BrE; AmE fâvorite
fáx machine = fácts truths
Fây = Fâye persons = fèy whimsy
fãyre = fãir = fãir
fâze confuse = phâse period
fêat achievement = fêet foot
fêbrile, fébrile
Fébruary: strongest form Fébrûãry, more commonly AmE *Fébyuãry, BrE *Fébyury, *Febrəry, both *Fébry
fêed verb cf. féd past, foôd noun
fèign pretend = fâin willing
fèint sham, write = fâint unconscious
feîsty
fêlîne
Fêlix
Fêlixstôwe
félon
fêmur
fermént chemical, excite cf. fomént water, disorder
férry cf. fãiry *féəry
fërvent
fète garden, celebrate (can have French accent: fête) = fâte destiny
fétid cf. fèted = fâted
fétish
feûd argument cf. leŵd, foôd
feŵ many = pheŵ relief, cf. vieŵ see, opinion
feŵ and far betwêen
fèy whimsy = Fây = Fâye persons
Ffestíniog (two fs for f sound, as single Welsh f is pronounced v)
fiàncè male, fiàncèe female
fianchétto *fyáng-kétto
Fìanna Fail *Fìənə Fŏil
fìat decree = Fìat ® car
Fìênnes *Fêenz
fìêrce
fîery cf. fîre, wîry, feîsty
Fìfa, FÌFA
fífth *fíth
Fígaro
fíg-lêaf
fígurehead *fíggerhéd, one word
fîle nail, paper = phîal liquid
fílet or fíllet - BrE t sounded, AmE *filây
fílibuster - one l
fíll up = Phíl Philip
fíllip boost = Phílip person
fín fish = Fínn Finland
fînal
finàlê
fînánce, fináncier (also fî-) BrE; AmE finánce, financìer (both fí-)
fîne all meanings
Fìne Gâel *Fêena Gâil
fínger *fíng-gər
fínish stop = Fínnish Finland
Fínlay *Fínley
fïr tree = für animal
fîreworks noun one word
físcal finance -ss-, cf. phýsícal body, -zí-
físsure break = físher fish, Físher person
fítted is the past tense of fít, a regular verb
Fítz- = fíts; unstressed: Fitzgérald, Fitzwílliam, FitzRŏy, etc.
fjŏrd = fiŏrd *fyŏrd
fláccid *fláxid
flagellâtion
flãir ability = flãre fire
flák fire, abuse = Fláck person, cf. bláck, etc., usual ending
Flànders
flãre fire = flãir ability
flåutist
flåw error = BrE flŏor ground
flêa insect = flêe escape
Fléming
fleŵ fly
fléxible
flíck-knife
flîer or flŷer
flîght fly = Flŷte
flípside one word
Flô Florence = flôe ice = flôw water
flòod
flŏra flowers = Flŏra person
floréscent flower cf. fluoréscent lighting
Flŏrida AmE, BrE Flórida
Florídian
flotílla
flòur bake = flòwer plant
floúrish
flôw water = flôe ice, cf. fleŵ fly, flåw error
flòwer plant = flòur bake
flôwn fly cf. flôwed flow
flû influenza = flûe chimney
flûgelhorn
flúmmoxed *flúməxt
flŷbŷ, clear without hyphen
fôcus: fôcusing and fôcused (which rhymes with lôcust) are perhaps preferable to fôcussed and fôcussing as they do not distract by invoking cússed and cússing; Oxford gives both -s- and -ss- forms, Collins gives only the single s forms
foêtus BrE, AmE fêtus
fôlìage has three syllables, cf. cárriage, márriage, each two
fôlk *fôke cf. pôke
Fôlkestone *Fôkstən
fóllowing
fomént water, disorder cf. fermént chemical, excite
foôd eat cf. feûd quarrel fyoô-
foôl
foôlscap
foòtbridge one word
foòtnôte one word
foòtpath one word
fŏr preposition usually schwa (in British English, *fə, making a minimal pair with unstressed the); stressed = fŏur 4, fŏre front; this pronunciation is used in American English for British fór-
fóray AmE = Fåurè (with French accent: Fauré)
forbád or forbâde
forbíd
fŏre front (to the fŏre) = fŏur number = stressed fŏr
fŏrecast
fŏrecastle -səl: sailors traditionally say *fôksəl
fŏrehéad traditionally *fórrid, cf. hórrid, but now normally has the spelling pronunciation
fóreign *fórrən
fŏresîght = Fŏrsyte
fórest -íst = Fórrest person = Fórest Nottingham, person
foreståll
for éver BrE eternally, long
foréver BrE long, AmE
fŏrewörd book, or = fŏrward back
forgíve
formáldehyde
fŏrmally formal = BrE fŏrmerly before
fŏrmer cf. fàrmer
fŏrmidable or formídable
fŏrtè
fŏrth forward = fŏurth four
forthcòming one word
fŏrtnight *fŏrtnîte
fŏrty cf. fŏur, fourtêen, fŏurth
fŏrward forwards, cf. rewård prize, fŏrewörd introduction (a homonym in rapid speech)
fòul bad = fòwl birds
Foûlkes *Foûks
fòund find, establish
Fŏwey *Fŏy
Fòwler = fòwler bird = fòuler disgusting
fóx = Fóx = Fóxx
fŏur number = fŏre front = fŏr preposition
fŏyèr *fŏyây
frácàs *frácà
frágile
frágment noun, fragmént verb
frâgrant
frâmework one word
fránc currency = fránk honest, envelope = Fránk person
Frānces usually female = Frāncís usually male
François male *Fràn-swà
Françoise female *Fràn-swàz
Fránklin Délano Rôosevelt
fråud, cf. Freud -ǒyd
fråught
frêak
Fréderick -dr-
frêe - as a suffix meaning without it must be hyphenated: débt-frêe *dét-frêe
frêelance one word
frêer *frêeər
frêest *frêeíst
frêeze cold = frìêze wall = frêes free
Frêmantle
frêquent adjective
frequént verb
fréshwåter adjective cf. thére ís nô frésh wåter
Freud *Frǒyd, making a minimal pair with Flŏyd
frîar monk, cf. frŷ
fricassêe
frídge has a d (to avoid "frîge") where refrígerator does not
frîed fry
friénd
frìêze wall, cloth = frêeze cold = frêes free
frígate -ət
frîght *frîte
frîghtened *frîtənd
frólic
Frome *Frûme
frònt
fròwzy
frûit *frûte
fruítion
frŷ = Freî = Freŷ
FTSE *foòtsìê
fûchsia *fyoôsha
Fukùshima or Fukushìma: words ending in -shìma and -shìta have the ì virtually silent ("devoiced", "whispered") in Japanese, but many anglophones stress it (as also with Hiróshima/Hiroshìma)
fùll
fùll tóss cricket two words
fùller = Fùller
fùlsome
Fùlton
fundaméntal can be fúndaméntal attributively
fundaméntalist
fúngus, plural fúngî or fúnguses, all with hard g
für animal = fïr tree
fürlôugh *fürlôw
fürnace -níss
fürnish
fûrŏr (furŏrê is a BrE variant)
fürther
furthermŏre one word
fürze shrub = fürs = fïrs
fûse = fûze detonator, American variant
fûselàge -àzh
fúss worry, fússy make minimal pairs with
fúzz vague, fúzzy