foehn
/fɜːn/
"foehn" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“foehn” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A warm dry wind blowing down the north sides of the Alps, especially in Switzerland.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | foehn |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /fɜːn/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “foehn” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
foehn is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /fɜːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
foehn doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Föhn, from Old High German phonno, from Vulgar Latin faōnius, an alteration of Latin favōnius (“west wind”), from Favōnius (“Roman wind god”). The correct English form is foehn, spelled F-O-E-H-N.
Definition
- 1A warm dry wind blowing down the north sides of the Alps, especially in Switzerland.
- 2A similar katabatic wind developing on the lee side of a mountain.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Föhn, from Old High German phonno, from Vulgar Latin faōnius, an alteration of Latin favōnius (“west wind”), from Favōnius (“Roman wind god”).
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “foehn”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-O-E-H-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /fɜːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.