The title compound, C(10)H(7)FO(4), is an inter-mediate in the synthesis of the drug Fidarestat, (2S,4S)-2-aminoformyl-6-fluoro-spiro[chroman-4,4'-imidazolidine]-2',5'-dione. The di-hydro-pyran-one ring adopts an envelope conformation with the asymmetric C atom in the flap position. In the crystal, the mol-ecules are linked into zigzag chains along [100] by O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C-H⋯π inter-actions involving the benzene ring.