beforehand
be·fore·hand/bɪˈfɔɹhænd/adverb
beforehand is spelled B-E-F-O-R-E-H-A-N-D: 10 letters and 3 syllables (be·fore·hand). It appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, beforehand means “At an earlier or preceding time” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in beforehand?
| Letters | 10: B-E-F-O-R-E-H-A-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: be·fore·hand |
| In writing | 4.2 times per million words; the 12,578th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is beforehand?
Beforehand appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce beforehand?
- UK /bɪˈfɔːhænd/
- US /bɪˈfɔɹhænd/
- /bɪˈfo(ː)ɹhænd/
Beforehand has 3 syllables, split be·fore·hand in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-beforehand.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of beforehand
- more beforehand comparative
- most beforehand superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does beforehand mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
At an earlier or preceding time.
Will it be possible to have access to the room beforehand so that we can set up chairs?
adjective
- 1
obsoleteIn comfortable circumstances as regards property; forehanded.
- 2
archaicIn a state of anticipation or preoccupation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Beforehand in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense at an earlier time:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | préalablement, auparavant, au préalable, à l'avance |
| German | vorher, zuvor, davor, im Voraus |
| Portuguese | de antemão, com antecedência, antes, previamente, antecipadamente, adiantado |
| Spanish | de antemano, anticipadamente, adelantadamente, con anterioridad/antelación, por adelantado, de “manera/forma antelada”/“modo antelado” |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does beforehand come from?
From Middle English biforhand, biforhond, beforehonde, bifornhand, equivalent to before + hand. [13th century. After Old French avant main].
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).