foghorn

noun

"foghorn" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“foghorn” is uncommon English (frequency #66,669 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,669
frequency rank, English
18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A very loud low-pitched horn, used especially in lighthouses and on large boats.

Key facts for foghorn
PropertyValue
Headwordfoghorn
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#66,669
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “foghorn” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). foghorn lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

foghorn is uncommon English at frequency #66,669 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for foghorn in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From fog + horn. The correct English form is foghorn, spelled F-O-G-H-O-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A very loud low-pitched horn, used especially in lighthouses and on large boats.
  2. 2
    A strong gossiper.

Etymology

From fog + horn.

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); 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 "foghorn"?
"foghorn" is spelled F-O-G-H-O-R-N.
What does "foghorn" mean?
As a noun, "foghorn" means: A very loud low-pitched horn, used especially in lighthouses and on large boats.
What is the origin of the word "foghorn"?
From fog + horn. 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.

Using “foghorn”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-O-G-H-O-R-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list