forefathers
/ˈfɔːˌfɑːðəz/
"forefathers" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“forefathers” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,994 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #31,994
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of forefather
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | forefathers |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈfɔːˌfɑːðəz/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #31,994 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “forefathers” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for forefathers is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfɔːˌfɑːðəz/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,994 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "plural of forefather".
Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for forefathers, with forms such as "fforefathers", "foerfathers", and "foreafthers". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is forefathers, spelled F-O-R-E-F-A-T-H-E-R-S.
Definition
- 1plural of forefather
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: fforefathers,foerfathers,foreafthers,forefahters,forefatehrs,forefatherrs,forefatherss,forefathesr,forefathhers,forefathres,forefatthers,foreffathers,foreftahers,forfeathers,forrefathers,froefathers,ofrefathers
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of forefathers - 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.
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 "forefathers"?
What does "forefathers" mean?
What are common misspellings of "forefathers"?
How do you pronounce "forefathers"?
What language does "forefathers" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “forefathers”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-E-F-A-T-H-E-R-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈfɔːˌfɑːðəz/ (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
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.