force

/fɔːs/

//fɔːs// noun

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

"force" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“force” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #587. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#587
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Ability to influence; strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigour; might; capacity of exercising an influence or producing an effect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-force · force · English

force · rank #587 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #587
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fine

Nearest frequency peer: fine (-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 “force”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “force” 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).

force vs free
60% similar
force vs form
60% similar
force vs ford
60% similar

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

Key facts for force
PropertyValue
Headwordforce
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɔːs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#587
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “force”

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).forcelands 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 “fine” (#586), “hear” (#588), “fight” (#585). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “force” is #587. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around force (IPA /fɔːs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #587 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 20 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for force, with forms such as "fforce", "focre", and "forcce". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "free", "form", "ford", 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 force, fors, forse, from Old French force, from Late Latin fortia, a noun derived from the neuter plural of Latin fortis (“strong”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to rise, high, hill”). The correct English form is force, spelled F-O-R-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ability to influence; strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigour; might; capacity of exercising an influence or producing an effect.
  2. 2
    A physical quantity that denotes ability to push, pull, twist or accelerate a body and which has a direction and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance/time² (ML/T²): SI: newton (N); CGS: dyne (dyn).
  3. 3
    A physical quantity that denotes ability to push, pull, twist or accelerate a body and which has a direction and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance/time² (ML/T²): SI: newton (N); CGS: dyne (dyn).
  4. 4
    A physical quantity that denotes ability to push, pull, twist or accelerate a body and which has a direction and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance/time² (ML/T²): SI: newton (N); CGS: dyne (dyn).
  5. 5
    A physical quantity that denotes ability to push, pull, twist or accelerate a body and which has a direction and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance/time² (ML/T²): SI: newton (N); CGS: dyne (dyn).
  6. 6
    A physical quantity that denotes ability to push, pull, twist or accelerate a body and which has a direction and is measured in a unit dimensioned in mass × distance/time² (ML/T²): SI: newton (N); CGS: dyne (dyn).
  7. 7
    Anything that is able to make a substantial change in a person or thing.
  8. 8
    Something or anything that has the power to produce a physical effect upon something else, such as causing it to move or change shape.
  9. 9
    Something that exerts influence.
  10. 10
    Something that exerts influence.
  11. 11
    Power exerted against will or consent; compulsory power; violence; coercion.
  12. 12
    Power exerted against will or consent; compulsory power; violence; coercion.
  13. 13
    A group organized for the goal of attacking, controlling, or constraining, especially one with a set command structure (in particular, a military or police group).
  14. 14
    A group organized for the goal of attacking, controlling, or constraining, especially one with a set command structure (in particular, a military or police group).
  15. 15
    A group organized for the goal of attacking, controlling, or constraining, especially one with a set command structure (in particular, a military or police group).
  16. 16
    A group organized for the goal of attacking, controlling, or constraining, especially one with a set command structure (in particular, a military or police group).
  17. 17
    The state of having legal weight, of being legally valid,.
  18. 18
    A magic trick in which the outcome is known to the magician beforehand, especially one involving the apparent free choice of a card by another person.
  19. 19
    Ability of an utterance or its element (word, form, prosody, ...) to effect a given meaning.
  20. 20
    The annualized instantaneous rate of change at a particular timepoint.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the force of an appeal, an argument, or a contract
  2. show of force

Etymology

From Middle English force, fors, forse, from Old French force, from Late Latin fortia, a noun derived from the neuter plural of Latin fortis (“strong”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to rise, high, hill”).

This word in other languages

fuerza(Español)force(Français)Kraft(Deutsch)força(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforce
  • focre
  • forcce
  • forec
  • forrce
  • froce
  • ofrce

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of force - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

fforce1focre2forcce1forec2forrce1froce2ofrce2
Edit distance from "force"

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 "force"?
"force" is spelled F-O-R-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔːs/.
What does "force" mean?
As a noun, "force" means: Ability to influence; strength or energy of body or mind; active power; vigour; might; capacity of exercising an influence or producing an effect.
What words are commonly confused with "force"?
"force" is commonly confused with "free", "form", "ford". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "force"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "force" is /fɔːs/. 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 "force"?
From Middle English force, fors, forse, from Old French force, from Late Latin fortia, a noun derived from the neuter plural of Latin fortis (“strong”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to rise, high, hill”). 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 "force", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fight#585issue#589price#592wants#581

Similar misspelling depth

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

seems7 variantsspace7 variantssummer7 variantsboard7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list