“Fain” or “Fane” or “Feign”—Which to use?

“Fain” or “Fane” or “Feign”

Overview

fain / fane / feign are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇

Definitions

fain: NA

fane: NA

feign: (verb) make believe with the intent to deceive.

Pronunciation

fain: f·EY·n

fane: f·EY·n

feign: f·EY·n

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Examples in Context

Examples of “fain”

"Secret Love" (Sammy Fain, Paul Francis Webster)

Examples of “fane”

…by the name of Sandor Fane had secretly shown the future…
On 17 July 1735, Henry Fane married Charlotte Rowe, only daughter…
Henry Fane (16 October 1703 – 31…
Fane tricked them into believing the…
Fane married his third wife, Charlotte…
His grandfather was Francis Fane, a Restoration dramatist He was…
Robert William Wilson, General Manager, Fane Valley Co-operative Agricultural and Dairy…
…Gwendolen was played by Dorothy Fane.
…in their fight against Sandor Fane (whom the League previously knew…
Henry Fane of Wormsley

Examples of “feign”

Kyle offers to feign a lesbian marriage with Raquel…
…nature and the need to feign confidence in the music industry.
Ranatra may feign death (thanatosis).
…like the rinkhals it may feign death to avoid further molestation.

(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)

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