foolish

/ˈfuː.lɪʃ/

//ˈfuː.lɪʃ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“foolish” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,425. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,425
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lacking good sense or judgement; unwise.

Corpus desk

Index EN-foolish · foolish · English

foolish · rank #8,425 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,425
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fond

Nearest frequency peer: fond (-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 “foolish”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “foolish” 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).

foolish vs fools
71% similar
foolish vs foolishly
78% similar
foolish vs fooling
71% similar

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

Key facts for foolish
PropertyValue
Headwordfoolish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfuː.lɪʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,425
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “foolish”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “fond” (#8,424), “frog” (#8,426), “fist” (#8,423). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “foolish” is #8,425. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around foolish (IPA /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,425 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for foolish, with forms such as "ffoolish", "folish", and "foloish". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "fools", "foolishly", "fooling", 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 folisch; equivalent to fool + -ish. The correct English form is foolish, spelled F-O-O-L-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lacking good sense or judgement; unwise.
  2. 2
    Resembling or characteristic of a fool.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Next season will, as ever, be a different matter, another problem for Conte to solve as he looks to extend his personal record of four straight league titles in club football across England and Italy. Given his hunger for more – more time, more detail, more work – only the brave or the foolish would bet against him.
  2. As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish, but I would not go out of my way to protest against it. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get. I would very gladly make mine over to him if I could.

Etymology

From Middle English folisch; equivalent to fool + -ish.

Synonyms

absurdidioticridiculoussillyunwiseasininebalmybarmybedaftloonydaftderpydim-headeddim-witteddopeydull-headeddull-witteddumbduncicalfatuousfuzzy-headedfuzzy-mindedgauvisongoofyidleinsipientmookishnaivesimpleslightslow-wittedsoftheadedsoft in the headsottishstupidthickunsagewool-headedwoolly-headedwoolly-mindedcrackpotdense

Antonyms

wise

This word in other languages

tonto(Español)sot(Français)dumm(Deutsch)idiota(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffoolish
  • folish
  • foloish
  • fooilsh
  • foolihs
  • foolishh
  • foolissh
  • foollish
  • foolsih
  • ofolish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of foolish - 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.

ffoolish1folish1foloish2fooilsh2foolihs2foolishh1foolissh1foollish1
Edit distance from "foolish"

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 "foolish"?
"foolish" is spelled F-O-O-L-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/.
What does "foolish" mean?
As an adjective, "foolish" means: Lacking good sense or judgement; unwise.
What words are commonly confused with "foolish"?
"foolish" is commonly confused with "fools", "foolishly", "fooling". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "foolish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foolish" is /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/. 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 "foolish"?
From Middle English folisch; equivalent to fool + -ish. 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 "foolish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hacking#8,430doubles#8,414doubled#8,413Hopkins#8,437

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

farewell10 variantsembedded10 variantsdislike10 variantsleaning10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list