# folder vs former

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### folder
*noun · IPA /ˈfoʊɫdɚ/ · frequency rank #10,548*
An organizer that papers are kept in, usually with an index tab, to be stored as a single unit in a filing cabinet.

### former
*adjective · IPA /ˈfɔɹmɚ/ · frequency rank #528*
Previous.

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