Familier or familiar?
Did you mean familiar? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.
Incorrect
familier
Correct
familiar
Correct spelling: familiar. Misspelling: familier.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
Memory tip
Keep the I before -ar: famil-IAR.
Why people write “familier”
The misspelling “familier” is only one letter off: it writes E where familiar has A.
Spell-checkers catch the mistake in a document, but not in a handwritten note, a text message or a word game. Writing the word out a few times while saying the tricky part aloud is the quickest way to make familiar automatic.
What does “familiar” mean?
familiar noun
- a person attached to the household of a high official (as a pope or bishop) who renders service in return for support
- a friend who is frequently in the company of another
“drinking companions”
- a spirit (usually in animal form) that acts as an assistant to a witch or wizard
Synonyms:
familiar adjective
- well known or easily recognized
“a familiar figure”
- within normal everyday experience; common and ordinary; not strange
“familiar ordinary objects found in every home”
- (usually followed by `with') well informed about or knowing thoroughly
“conversant with business trends”
Synonyms:conversant
- having mutual interests or affections; of established friendship
“on familiar terms”
Synonyms:intimate
Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Full dictionary entry
“Familiar” in a sentence
- The song sounds familiar.
- Drinking companions.
- A familiar figure.
- Familiar ordinary objects found in every home.
Is “familiar” a playable word?
13 points in Scrabble · 15 in Words With Friends
- Scrabble (US)
- Scrabble (UK)
- Words With Friends
“familier” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from FAMILIAR.