folklore

/ˈfəʊk.lɔː/

//ˈfəʊk.lɔː// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"folklore" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“folklore” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,171. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,171
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The tales, legends, superstitions, and traditions of a particular ethnic population.

Corpus desk

Index EN-folklore · folklore · English

folklore · rank #15,171 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,171
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flap

Nearest frequency peer: flap (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “folklore”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “folklore” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for folklore
PropertyValue
Headwordfolklore
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfəʊk.lɔː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#15,171
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “folklore”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).folklorelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “flap” (#15,170), “forgiving” (#15,172), “fisherman” (#15,169). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “folklore” is #15,171. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around folklore (IPA /ˈfəʊk.lɔː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,171 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for folklore, with forms such as "ffolklore", "floklore", and "fokllore". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From folk + lore, coined by British writer William Thoms in 1846 to replace terms such as "popular antiquities". Thoms imitated German terms such as Volklehre (“people's customs”) and Volksüberlieferung (“popular tradition”). Compare also Old English folcla… The correct English form is folklore, spelled F-O-L-K-L-O-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The tales, legends, superstitions, and traditions of a particular ethnic population.
  2. 2
    The tales, superstitions etc. of any particular group or community.
  3. 3
    The collective of proofs or techniques which are widely known among mathematicians, but have never been formally published.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how folklore appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. [T]here is no true American music but the wild sweet melodies of the Negro slave; the American fairy tales and folk-lore are Indian and African; and, all in all, we black men seem the sole oasis of simple faith and reverence in a dusty desert of dollars and smartness.
  2. Why has not England a great mythology? Our folklore has never advanced beyond daintiness, and the greater melodies about our country-side have all issued through the pipes of Greece.

Etymology

From folk + lore, coined by British writer William Thoms in 1846 to replace terms such as "popular antiquities". Thoms imitated German terms such as Volklehre (“people's customs”) and Volksüberlieferung (“popular tradition”). Compare also Old English folclar (“popular instruction; homily”) and West Frisian folkloare (“folklore”).

This word in other languages

folclore(Español)folklore(Français)Volksüberlieferung(Deutsch)folclore(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffolklore
  • floklore
  • fokllore
  • folkklore
  • folkllore
  • folkloer
  • folklorre
  • folklroe
  • folkolre
  • follklore
  • follkore
  • oflklore

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of folklore - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ffolklore1floklore2fokllore2folkklore1folkllore1folkloer2folklorre1folklroe2
Edit distance from "folklore"

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 "folklore"?
"folklore" is spelled F-O-L-K-L-O-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfəʊk.lɔː/.
What does "folklore" mean?
As a noun, "folklore" means: The tales, legends, superstitions, and traditions of a particular ethnic population.
What are common misspellings of "folklore"?
Common misspellings include "ffolklore", "floklore", "fokllore", "folkklore", "folkllore". The correct spelling is "folklore".
How do you pronounce "folklore"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "folklore" is /ˈfəʊk.lɔː/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "folklore"?
From folk + lore, coined by British writer William Thoms in 1846 to replace terms such as "popular antiquities". Thoms imitated German terms such as Volklehre (“people's customs”) and Volksüberlieferung (“popular tradition”). Compare also Old Engl... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "folklore", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

galactic#15,174fielding#15,167gardener#15,175famously#15,165

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

diverted12 variantsintellect12 variantscorrupted12 variantsancestor12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list