forehand
/fɔːɹhænd/noun, adjective, verb
forehand is spelled F-O-R-E-H-A-N-D: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, forehand means “A stroke in which the palm of the hand faces the direction of the stroke” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of forehand is forehands.
How many letters and syllables are in forehand?
| Letters | 8: F-O-R-E-H-A-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,660th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is forehand?
Forehand appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,660th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce forehand?
- UK /fɔːhænd/
- US /fɔːɹhænd/
Forehand has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-forehand.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of forehand
- forehands plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- forehanding participle, present
- forehanded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does forehand mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A stroke in which the palm of the hand faces the direction of the stroke.
the devastating speed of her forehand return
- 2
A throw similar to a sidearm throw in baseball, where the disc remains on the throwing-arm side of the body and is led by the middle finger.
- 3
All of the part of a horse which is before the rider.
- 4
archaicThe chief or most important part.
- 5
Superiority; advantage; start; precedence.
- 6
The hand towards the front of the board.
adjective
- 1
Beforehand; paid in advance.
a forehand rent
verb
- 1
To strike with a forehand stroke.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forehand in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense stroke in racket sports:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | coup droit |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does forehand come from?
From fore- + hand.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).