fongvsforgoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fong is a noun, forgo is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fong” is a noun and “forgo” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,923
“fong” frequency rank
#29,282
“forgo” frequency rank
58205
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fong forgo
Definition A kick. To do without (something enjoyable); to relinquish.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fong and forgo apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
fong
5 ch
forgo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: fong is anoun and forgoaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58205, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fong is recorded at frequency rank #28,923, classified as anoun. forgo is at rank #29,282, tagged as averb, pronounced /fɔːˈɡəʊ/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 58205, this pair ranks #114,121 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of fong vs forgo

Shared letters: fgo. Private to "fong": n. Private to "forgo": r.

"fong" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "forgo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fongffong · fnog · fogn · fongg · fonng · ofng
  • forgofforgo · fogro · forggo · forog · forrgo · frogo · ofrgo

Frequency comparison

fong#28,923
forgo#29,282

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fong" and "forgo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fong" is a noun and "forgo" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fong" or "forgo"?
"fong" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,923 in our English list, against #29,282 for "forgo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fong vs forgo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “fong”; for a verb, it's “forgo”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “fong” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list