foramen

/fəˈɹeɪ.mɛn/

//fəˈɹeɪ.mɛn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“foramen” is uncommon English (frequency #57,389 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,389
frequency rank, English
18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An opening, an orifice, or a short passage, especially in a bone.

Key facts for foramen
PropertyValue
Headwordforamen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fəˈɹeɪ.mɛn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#57,389
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “foramen” 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). foramen 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

foramen is uncommon English at frequency #57,389 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /fəˈɹeɪ.mɛn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An opening, an orifice, or a short passage, especially in a bone.".

foramen has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin forāmen (“aperture or opening produced by boring”), from forō (“to pierce or bore”) + -men (nominal suffix). The correct English form is foramen, spelled F-O-R-A-M-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An opening, an orifice, or a short passage, especially in a bone.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin forāmen (“aperture or opening produced by boring”), from forō (“to pierce or bore”) + -men (nominal suffix).

This word in other languages

foramen(Español)foramen(Français)

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 "foramen"?
"foramen" is spelled F-O-R-A-M-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /fəˈɹeɪ.mɛn/.
What does "foramen" mean?
As a noun, "foramen" means: An opening, an orifice, or a short passage, especially in a bone.
How do you pronounce "foramen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foramen" is /fəˈɹeɪ.mɛn/. 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 "foramen"?
Borrowed from Latin forāmen (“aperture or opening produced by boring”), from forō (“to pierce or bore”) + -men (nominal suffix). 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 “foramen”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-A-M-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fəˈɹeɪ.mɛn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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