forest

[ˈfɒɹɪst]

/[ˈfɒɹɪst]/ noun

The verdict

“forest” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #17,892 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,892
frequency rank, German
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Wald, Forst

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

forest vs freut
67% similar
forest vs Frist
50% similar
forest vs Fürst
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for forest
PropertyValue
Headwordforest
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈfɒɹɪst]
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,892
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “forest” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). forest lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for forest is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈfɒɹɪst]. Corpus data places it at rank #17,892 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Wald, Forst".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for forest, with forms such as "fforest", "foerst", and "foresst". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 19 confusable-pair relationships, "freut", "Frist", "Fürst", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is forest, spelled F-O-R-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Wald, Forst

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: fforest,foerst,foresst,forestt,forets,forrest,forset,froest,ofrest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of forest - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

fforest1foerst2foresst1forestt1forets2forrest1forset2froest2
Edit distance from "forest"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "forest"?
"forest" is spelled F-O-R-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈfɒɹɪst].
What does "forest" mean?
As a noun, "forest" means: Wald, Forst
What words are commonly confused with "forest"?
"forest" is commonly confused with "freut", "Frist", "Fürst". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "forest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forest" is [ˈfɒɹɪst]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "forest" come from?
"forest" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “forest”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is F-O-R-E-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈfɒɹɪst] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “freut” - see the side-by-side comparison. forest vs freut
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list