forego

/fɔɹˈɡoʊ/

//fɔɹˈɡoʊ// verb

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

"forego" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“forego” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,297. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,297
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To precede, to go before.

Corpus desk

Index EN-forego · forego · English

forego · rank #35,297 · 8 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,297
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foretold

Nearest frequency peer: foretold (+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 “forego”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “forego” 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).

forego vs forge
67% similar
forego vs forex
67% similar
forego vs forgo
83% similar

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

Key facts for forego
PropertyValue
Headwordforego
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/fɔɹˈɡoʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#35,297
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “forego”

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).foregolands 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 “foretold” (#35,298), “flopping” (#35,295), “fortification” (#35,300). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “forego” is #35,297. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around forego (IPA /fɔɹˈɡoʊ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #35,297 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To precede, to go before.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for forego, with forms such as "fforego", "foergo", and "foreggo". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "forge", "forex", "forgo", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forgan, from Old English foregān, equivalent to fore- + go. The correct English form is forego, spelled F-O-R-E-G-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    To precede, to go before.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. pleasing remembrance of a thought foregone

Etymology

From Middle English forgan, from Old English foregān, equivalent to fore- + go.

Synonyms

antecedecome beforeprecede

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforego
  • foergo
  • foreggo
  • foreog
  • forgeo
  • forrego
  • froego
  • ofrego

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fforego1foergo2foreggo1foreog2forgeo2forrego1froego2ofrego2
Edit distance from "forego"

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 "forego"?
"forego" is spelled F-O-R-E-G-O. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔɹˈɡoʊ/.
What does "forego" mean?
As a verb, "forego" means: To precede, to go before.
What words are commonly confused with "forego"?
"forego" is commonly confused with "forge", "forex", "forgo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "forego"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forego" is /fɔɹˈɡoʊ/. 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 "forego"?
From Middle English forgan, from Old English foregān, equivalent to fore- + go. 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 "forego", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

flappy#35,292Gannon#35,309grainy#35,316grundy#35,319

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Giannis8 variantshelluva8 variantsDelano8 variantsCherie8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list