Feu - few - phew

The homophones few and phew are not likely to be confused. They are pronounced the same way: IPA: /fju/.

• Few is an adjective or preposition meaning 'not many'. (For more detail, see A few - few).
• Phew! is an interjection expressing relief, or, in older times, weariness, disgust or impatience, etc.

Etymological note: OED (2005) says "Imitative, representing the action of puffing or blowing away with the lips."

• There is also a third homophone, a legal term, more used in Scots than English law, but also by historians of all western European countries: feu. This is a form of, and cognate with, fee. It is a form of land-holding which gives rise to the word feudal. The feudal system was based on the obligations a tenant owed to the lord from whom he held the land in fee. Nowadays, feu duty is usually paid in money.