Fae/faer pronouns: forms, pronunciation and examples
Fae, faer, faer, faers, faerself. Said fay and fair, with singular verbs.
The forms
| Subject | fae |
|---|---|
| Object | faer |
| Possessive before a noun | faer |
| Possessive on its own | faers |
| Reflexive | faerself (also written faeself) |
In a sentence
- Fae is coming to the film with us.
- I saved faer a seat.
- Faer cat knocked the plant over again.
- The sketchbook on the sofa is faers.
- Fae made faerself at home.
The forms and how to say them
Fae is the subject, faer covers object and determiner, faers stands alone and the reflexive is faerself. Verbs are singular: fae is, fae was, fae has.
Pronouns.page gives fae as "fay" and faer as "fair".
The reflexive varies. Pronouns.page and UW-Milwaukee's chart give faerself; the Gender Census lists faeself. Both are in use, and the person you are talking about will have the one they use.
A pronoun built from a word
Fae/faer is usually filed as a xenopronoun: a pronoun built from a word or image rather than from the existing pronoun stock. UW-Milwaukee's chart also points out a separate set that looks similar, ae/aer, so check which one someone uses.
Pronouns.page credits the set to a Tumblr user, shadaras, in 2014. That is a community attribution we could not check against the original post.
How common it is
6.2% of 2025 Gender Census respondents chose fae/faer, second among the neopronouns on its list after xe/xem. The usual caveat applies: respondents are self-selected online, mostly young and mostly in the US.
Using it well
Use it the way you would use she or he, in ordinary sentences, with no pause in front of it. Xenopronouns attract a lot of mockery, and a hesitation before the word can sound like more of the same. The practice page helps with the pause.
If you slip, fix it and keep going. The glossary entry on misgendering explains why.
Questions people ask
How do you pronounce fae/faer?
Fae sounds like fay, and faer sounds like fair.
Is it faerself or faeself?
Both spellings are in use. Faerself is the more common in pronoun guides; follow the person's own spelling.
Is it fae is or fae are?
Fae is. The set takes singular verbs.
Is fae/faer a neopronoun or a xenopronoun?
Both. It is a neopronoun, and because it is built from a word, it is usually counted among xenopronouns too.