# foal

> English word · Noun · IPA /fəʊl/ · frequency rank #35,721

## Definitions
1. A young horse or other equine, especially just after birth or less than a year old.
2. A young boy who assisted the headsman by pushing or pulling the tub.

## Etymology
From Middle English fole, from Old English fola, from Proto-West Germanic *folō, from Proto-Germanic *fulô, from pre-Germanic *pl̥Hon-, from Proto-Indo-European *pōlH- (“animal young”) (cognate with Saterland Frisian Foole, West Frisian fôle, foalle, Dutch veulen, German Low German Fohl, German Fohlen, Fohle, Swedish fåle; compare also Ancient Greek πῶλος (pôlos), Latin pullus, Albanian pelë (“mare”), Old Armenian ուլ (ul, “kid, fawn”). Related to filly.

## Easily confused with
- **for** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-for)
- **fox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-fox)
- **fog** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-fog)
- **foe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-foe)
- **foo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-foo)
- **FSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-fsa)
- **fob** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-fob)
- **fra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-fra)
- **FTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-fta)
- **foy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-foy)
- **foi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-foi)
- **FTL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-ftl)
- **fou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-fou)
- **foh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-foh)
- **full** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-full)
- **four** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-four)
- **food** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-food)
- **form** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-form)
- **foot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-foot)
- **fuel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/foal-vs-fuel)

## Common misspellings (5)
`faol`, `ffoal`, `foall`, `fola`, `ofal`

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