forage

/ˈfɒɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈfɒɹ.ɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“forage” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,757. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,757
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fodder for animals, especially cattle and horses.

Corpus desk

Index EN-forage · forage · English

forage · rank #24,757 · 8 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,757
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH footwork

Nearest frequency peer: footwork (-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 “forage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “forage” 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).

forage vs force
67% similar
forage vs frame
67% similar
forage vs forge
83% similar

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

Key facts for forage
PropertyValue
Headwordforage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɒɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#24,757
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “forage”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).foragelands 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 “footwork” (#24,756), “fraught” (#24,758), “freshness” (#24,759). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “forage” is #24,757. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around forage (IPA /ˈfɒɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,757 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for forage, with forms such as "fforage", "foarge", and "foraeg". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "force", "frame", "forge", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forage, from Old French fourage, forage, a derivative of fuerre (“fodder, straw”), from Frankish *fōdar (“fodder, sheath”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“fodder, feed, sheath”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to protect, to … The correct English form is forage, spelled F-O-R-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fodder for animals, especially cattle and horses.
  2. 2
    An act or instance of foraging.
  3. 3
    The demand for fodder, etc., by an army from the local population.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The hermit was apparently somewhat moved to compassion by the anxiety as well as address which the stranger displayed in tending his horse; for, muttering something about provender left for the keeper's palfrey, he dragged out of a recess a bundle of forage, which he spread before the knight's charger.
  2. To invade the corn, and to their cells convey / The plundered forage of their yellow prey

Etymology

From Middle English forage, from Old French fourage, forage, a derivative of fuerre (“fodder, straw”), from Frankish *fōdar (“fodder, sheath”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“fodder, feed, sheath”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to protect, to feed”). Cognate with Old High German fuotar (German Futter (“fodder, feed”)), Old English fōdor, fōþer (“food, fodder, covering, case, basket”), Dutch voeder (“forage, food, feed”), Danish foder (“fodder, feed”), Icelandic fóðr (“fodder, sheath”). More at fodder, food. Unrelated to modern French forage (“drilling”), whose first element is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“to pierce”).

This word in other languages

forraje(Español)fourrage(Français)Fourage(Deutsch)forragem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforage
  • foarge
  • foraeg
  • foragge
  • forgae
  • forrage
  • froage
  • ofrage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fforage1foarge2foraeg2foragge1forgae2forrage1froage2ofrage2
Edit distance from "forage"

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 "forage"?
"forage" is spelled F-O-R-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɒɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "forage" mean?
As a noun, "forage" means: Fodder for animals, especially cattle and horses.
What words are commonly confused with "forage"?
"forage" is commonly confused with "force", "frame", "forge". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "forage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forage" is /ˈfɒɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "forage"?
From Middle English forage, from Old French fourage, forage, a derivative of fuerre (“fodder, straw”), from Frankish *fōdar (“fodder, sheath”), from Proto-Germanic *fōdrą (“fodder, feed, sheath”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂- (“to pr... 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 "forage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

flared#24,754fickle#24,752Gallup#24,763feline#24,749

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

incite8 variantsJosiah8 variantschaps8 variantsLucian8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list