# before vs beware

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### before
*preposition · IPA /bɪˈfɔː/ · frequency rank #123*
Earlier than (in time).

### beware
*verb · IPA /biˈwɛɚ/ · frequency rank #11,170*
To use caution, pay attention to (used both with and without of).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/before-vs-beware