afoot

/əˈfʊt/

//əˈfʊt// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"afoot" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“afoot” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,110. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,110
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - On foot. (means of locomotion, walking)

Corpus desk

Index EN-afoot · afoot · English

afoot · rank #33,110 · 6 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,110
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH affront

Nearest frequency peer: affront (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “afoot”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “afoot” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

afoot vs aft
60% similar
afoot vs alot
60% similar
afoot vs aloft
60% similar

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

Key facts for afoot
PropertyValue
Headwordafoot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/əˈfʊt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#33,110
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “afoot”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).afootlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “affront” (#33,109), “agri” (#33,111), “adsorption” (#33,108). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “afoot” is #33,110. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around afoot (IPA /əˈfʊt/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #33,110 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for afoot, with forms such as "affoot", "afoott", and "afot". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "aft", "alot", "aloft", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From a- + foot. The correct English form is afoot, spelled A-F-O-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    On foot. (means of locomotion, walking)
  2. 2
    On foot. (support of the body, standing)
  3. 3
    In motion; in action; astir; stirring; in progress.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how afoot appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Is it fit, let your mightyship say, / That I, like some pitiful flirt, / Should tarry within doors all day, / Or else trudge it afoot in the dirt?
  2. "The dogs were no sooner let loose, than the hare was afoot.

Etymology

From a- + foot.

This word in other languages

de pie(Español)debout(Français)stehend(Deutsch)de pé(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • affoot
  • afoott
  • afot
  • afoto
  • aofot
  • faoot

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

affoot1afoott1afot1afoto2aofot2faoot2
Edit distance from "afoot"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "afoot"?
"afoot" is spelled A-F-O-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈfʊt/.
What does "afoot" mean?
As an adverb, "afoot" means: On foot. (means of locomotion, walking)
What words are commonly confused with "afoot"?
"afoot" is commonly confused with "aft", "alot", "aloft". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "afoot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "afoot" is /əˈfʊt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "afoot"?
From a- + foot. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "afoot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

amity#33,118xenon#33,096artsy#33,130wilds#33,088

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

alms6 variantswhiz6 variantsAttila6 variantstrad6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list