"When the first baby laughed for the very first time, The laugh broke into a thousand pieces, And they went skipping about, and that's  the beginning of faeries." -Sir James Mattews Barrie

Definition:

According to Webster, a fairy is a "mythical" being of folklore and romance usually having diminutive human form and magic powers.....
 

Different Languages:
(in no particular order)

English: fairy
Gaelic: fairy cruthlach (masc.) fairy sgobhrag (fem.) fairy siabhrach (fem.) fairy sìbhreach (masc.) fairy sìbhreag (fem.) fairy sìghideach (fem.)
fairy sìth (fem.) fairy sìthiche (masc.) fairy suire (fem.) fairy bean-shìdh (fem.) fairy sìtheanach (masc.)
French: fée
Finnish: haltia
Hungarian: tündér-, tündéri, tündér
Japanese: sennyo, yousei, yukionna, feari-, senjo, sennin
Norwegian: fe
Spanish: hada
Swedish: fe, älva
German: fairy
Italian: fairy
Portuguese: a fada
 

Different Spellings:

Sense, there are so many different ways of spelling the word fairy, I'll include some of them that I know or have seen:

fairy, feary, fea, fey, fairie, fearie......and the list keeps going and going..........
 

Different Kinds:

Pixie:
Cheerful and mischievous. They often take the form of a hedgehog and are known for their pranks. They also love music and dancing.

Goblins:
Vicious little creatures that can appear as animals.

Leprechaun:
Irish fairies that are very cunning. Usually found among the clover.

Sidhe:
Irish fairies who are attracted to beauty.

Sprites:
Spirit fairies. Their job is to change the color of the leaves in the fall.

Dryads:
Spirit fairies of the trees.

Gnomes:
They prefer the forests and are guardians of sacred grounds. They have a weakness for gemstones and things that glitter.

Garden Fairies:
They can be found dancing among the flowers.

Tree Fairies:

Alder- The Fae of the Alder have been known as the "dark faeries". They are very protective.
When they leave their trees this fairy will take the form of a Raven.

Apple- This also known as the home for Unicorns.

Birch- This is sometimes known as the "Lady of the Woods" .

Elder- The Elder tree is sacred to the Druid clans. It is the tree of the beginning and the end.

Oak- Linking with the Oak Fairies awakens visions of your future.

Willow- It is associated with Brigid in the Celtic tradition; it opens vision and communication.

Elemental Faeries:

Earth:
These fairies are usually classed into two main groups; those that live under ground and those that
live on the ground, like tree fairies.

These groups can then be divided again, into fairies with physical bodies; for example - tree spirits, and those without bodies, like the garden fairy. Earth fairies are usually tiny, only around 27cm - a foot high. They are happy, sociable creatures, who live in communities and dart about impatiently when dealing with human beings. Some examples of earth fey include wood fey and gnomes.

Air:

The fae of the air can also be divided in to two groups, the nature fairy, which can be either of three types, cloud; dragon; or storm, and the Elemental, which is called the sylph.

Dragon Fairies float seemingly slowly across the sky, but they are so far above cloud level, it is hard
to gauge how fast they are actually going. They never come down to the lower atmosphere, and are
far removed from earthly life.

Storm Fairies are perhaps the most characteristic of the air fairies. These fairies, are short, but
beautiful, with mostly silver coloring, with glints of pale purple and blue. These fae are most
commonly seen flying high up in the sky in large groups.

Cloud fairies are mostly large forms, with thin, human like faces, and long, flowing hair. They have
a cloud like texture, and can be found amongst the clouds, floating about, and moulding them. Cloud
fairies are known to love sunsets and sunrises, as they love the effect of the sun shining through
their clouds.

The Sylphs have perfect human features and form, with childlike faces, except they are far more
beautiful than the average human. These fairies have large frilly wings on their back, and seem to
be surrounded by an opalescent glow. These fae live in a world off tone, so vivid that even human
ears and eyes can catch glimpses of it.

Fire:

Fire Fairies are divided into two groups, the flame spirits, and the Elemental - the Salamander. Fire fairies are held in awe by the rest of nature - they have the ability to create, and also to destroy.

Flame spirits: are small, usually only around 5 inches in height, and can be found in wood fires.
They are called into being by the rhythmic vibration of the fire, and cease to exist when the fire goes
out.

Salamanders: live in volcanos, and have a thin, elongated human like figure. They can also be found
in forest fires, the larger the fire, the greater the size of the fairy. These fairies are attracted by the
fire, and are called from the centers where they live.

Water:

The Water Fairies are divided into two groups: the salt water, and the fresh water fairies. The salt water fairies are the water babies and the sea sprites. The fresh water fairy is the undine.

The Water Babies live on the surface of the ocean, in bays close to shore. They are very jolly, and
very round, and have virtually no neck. They have two vague flipper like hands, and they are a
bright blue color, and soft to touch. They have bright eyes, and a very small amount of "baby
fluff." They roll and tumble about each other, and have the happiest times in the waves. They give
their energy to us when we immerse ourselves in their salty playground.

The Sea Sprites are around five to six feet tall, have a human like appearance, but with a fierce,
gaunt beauty. They have a more skeletal appearance than a fleshy one. They have long faces, with
sharp noses, slit mouths, and large blue eyes. Their energy is happiness, and of the gypsy spirit, free
and roaming.

The Undine is beautiful and slender. They can be found in ponds and lakes. Undines have been
known to lure men to their death. Although they mean no harm, their love of singing and the
enchantment they weave when singing naturally draws a wandering soul to the watery depths. The
Undine is of a feminine nature, and is unclothed, covered only by the masses of hanging curls. With
the sullen eyes and big lips, they seem to be mourning their inability to live on land.

Fairy Rings:

Fairies often dance in circles in the grass which are called fairy rings. The wild enchantment of the fairy music can lead passersby inexorably towards the ring which, like a fairy kiss or fairy food and drink, can lead to captivity forever in the world of Fairy. If a human steps into the ring he is compelled to join the fairies in their wild prancing. The dance might seem to last only minutes, or an hour or two, or even a whole night but in fact the normal duration would be seven years by our time and sometimes longer. The captive can be rescued by a friend who, with others holding his coat-tails, follows the fairy music, reaches into the ring (keeping one foot firmly outside) and pulls the dancer out. An example of this might be the story of Rip Van Winkle.