befoul
/bɪˈfaʊl/
"befoul" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“befoul” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make foul; to soil; to contaminate, pollute.
Corpus desk
Index EN-befoul · befoul · English
befoul · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "B" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | befoul |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /bɪˈfaʊl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “befoul” in English
Rare enough to double-check
befoul is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /bɪˈfaʊl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for befoul, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From be- + foul. The correct English form is befoul, spelled B-E-F-O-U-L.
Definition
- 1To make foul; to soil; to contaminate, pollute.
- 2To make foul; to soil; to contaminate, pollute.
- 3To stain or mar (e.g., with infamy or disgrace).
- 4To entangle or run against so as to impede motion.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how befoul appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
These heights are a desirable retreat, for less picturesque reasons—as an escape from a compound of vile smells perpetually arising from a great harbour full of stagnant water, and befouled by the refuse of innumerable ships with all sorts of cargoes: which, in hot weather, is dreadful in the last degree.
1897, Robert Gwynneddon Davies (translator), The Sleeping Bard by Ellis Wynne, London: Simplkon, Marshall & Co., Part I, At last, what with a round of blasphemy, and the whole crowd with clay pistols belching smoke and fire and slander of their neighbours, and the floor already befouled with dregs and spittle, I feared lest viler deeds should happen, and…
Etymology
From be- + foul.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.