English spellings/Catalogs/F

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Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list
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]

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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

Feŷnman

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