forebode
/fɔːˈbəʊd/
"forebode" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“forebode” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To predict a future event; to hint at something that will happen (especially as a literary device).
Corpus desk
Index EN-forebode · forebode · English
forebode · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "F" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | forebode |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /fɔːˈbəʊd/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “forebode” in English
Rare enough to double-check
forebode is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /fɔːˈbəʊd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
forebode doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English foreboden, from Old English forebodian, equivalent to fore- + bode. The correct English form is forebode, spelled F-O-R-E-B-O-D-E.
Definition
- 1To predict a future event; to hint at something that will happen (especially as a literary device).
- 2To be prescient of (some ill or misfortune); to have an inward conviction of, as of a calamity which is about to happen; to augur despondingly.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how forebode appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
There can be, if I forebode aright, no power, short of the Divine mercy, to disclose, whether by uttered words, or by type or emblem, the secrets that may be buried with a human heart.
Sullen, desponding, and foreboding nothing but wars and desolation, as the certain consequence of Caesar's death.
Etymology
From Middle English foreboden, from Old English forebodian, equivalent to fore- + bode.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.