follow

/ˈfɒləʊ/

//ˈfɒləʊ// verb

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

"follow" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“follow” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #747. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#747
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching.

Corpus desk

Index EN-follow · follow · English

follow · rank #747 · 7 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #747
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH evidence

Nearest frequency peer: evidence (-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 “follow”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “follow” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

follow vs folly
67% similar
follow vs Folsom
50% similar
follow vs follows
86% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for follow
PropertyValue
Headwordfollow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈfɒləʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#747
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “follow”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “evidence” (#746), “lives” (#748), “value” (#745). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “follow” is #747. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around follow (IPA /ˈfɒləʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #747 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for follow, with forms such as "ffollow", "flolow", and "followw". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "folly", "Folsom", "follows", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English folwen, folȝen, folgen, from Old English folgian (“to follow, pursue”), from Proto-West Germanic *folgēn, from Proto-Germanic *fulgāną (“to follow”). The correct English form is follow, spelled F-O-L-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching.
  2. 2
    To go or come after in a sequence.
  3. 3
    To carry out (orders, instructions, etc.).
  4. 4
    To live one's life according to (religion, teachings, etc).
  5. 5
    To understand, to pay attention to.
  6. 6
    To watch, to keep track of (reports of) some event or person.
  7. 7
    To subscribe to see content from an account on a social media platform.
  8. 8
    To be a logical consequence of something.
  9. 9
    To walk in, as a road or course; to attend upon closely, as a profession or calling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Follow that car!
  2. She left the room and I followed.

Etymology

From Middle English folwen, folȝen, folgen, from Old English folgian (“to follow, pursue”), from Proto-West Germanic *folgēn, from Proto-Germanic *fulgāną (“to follow”).

This word in other languages

seguir(Español)suivre(Français)folgen(Deutsch)seguir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffollow
  • flolow
  • followw
  • follwo
  • fololw
  • folow
  • ofllow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of follow - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ffollow1flolow2followw1follwo2fololw2folow1ofllow2
Edit distance from "follow"

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 "follow"?
"follow" is spelled F-O-L-L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɒləʊ/.
What does "follow" mean?
As a verb, "follow" means: To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching.
What words are commonly confused with "follow"?
"follow" is commonly confused with "folly", "Folsom", "follows". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "follow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "follow" is /ˈfɒləʊ/. 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 "follow"?
From Middle English folwen, folȝen, folgen, from Old English folgian (“to follow, pursue”), from Proto-West Germanic *folgēn, from Proto-Germanic *fulgāną (“to follow”). 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 "follow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

source#743ground#735amount#760giving#734

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

lives7 variantssound7 variantsround7 variantsDavid7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list