forcible

adj

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

"forcible" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“forcible” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,147. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,147
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Done by force, forced.

Corpus desk

Index EN-forcible · forcible · English

forcible · rank #36,147 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #36,147
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH frenzied

Nearest frequency peer: frenzied (+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 “forcible”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “forcible” 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).

forcible vs forcibly
88% similar

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

Key facts for forcible
PropertyValue
Headwordforcible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#36,147
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “forcible”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).forciblelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “frenzied” (#36,148), “flutes” (#36,145), “Freudian” (#36,149). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “forcible” is #36,147. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around forcible, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #36,147 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for forcible, with forms such as "fforcible", "focrible", and "forcable". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "forcibly", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forcible, forsable, from Old French forcible, from forcier (“to conquer by force”), equivalent to force + -ible. The correct English form is forcible, spelled F-O-R-C-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Done by force, forced.
  2. 2
    Having (physical) force, forceful.
  3. 3
    Having a powerful effect; forceful, telling, strong, convincing, effective.
  4. 4
    Able to be forced.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I fled; but he pursued (though more, it seems, / Inflamed with lust than rage), and, swifter far, / Me overtook, his mother, all dismayed, / And, in embraces forcible and foul / Engendering with me, of that rape begot / These yelling monsters, that with ceaseless cry / Surround me, as thou saw'st—
  2. The forcible administration of poison is by no means a new thing in criminal annals.

Etymology

From Middle English forcible, forsable, from Old French forcible, from forcier (“to conquer by force”), equivalent to force + -ible.

This word in other languages

poderoso(Español)forcé(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforcible
  • focrible
  • forcable
  • forcbile
  • forccible
  • forcibble
  • forcibel
  • forciblle
  • forcilbe
  • foricble
  • forrcible
  • frocible
  • ofrcible

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fforcible1focrible2forcable1forcbile2forccible1forcibble1forcibel2forciblle1
Edit distance from "forcible"

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 "forcible"?
"forcible" is spelled F-O-R-C-I-B-L-E.
What does "forcible" mean?
As an adjective, "forcible" means: Done by force, forced.
What words are commonly confused with "forcible"?
"forcible" is commonly confused with "forcibly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "forcible"?
From Middle English forcible, forsable, from Old French forcible, from forcier (“to conquer by force”), equivalent to force + -ible. 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 "forcible", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

frenzied#36,148Freudian#36,149fumbling#36,152feverish#36,140

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

fantasize13 variantsIndochina13 variantsinfantile13 variantsInglewood13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list