forehand

/fɔːhænd/

//fɔːhænd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“forehand” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,634. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,634
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A stroke in which the palm of the hand faces the direction of the stroke.

Corpus desk

Index EN-forehand · forehand · English

forehand · rank #41,634 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,634
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fortescue

Nearest frequency peer: Fortescue (+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 “forehand”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “forehand” 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).

forehand vs foreman
75% similar
forehand vs forehead
75% similar

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

Key facts for forehand
PropertyValue
Headwordforehand
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɔːhænd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#41,634
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “forehand”

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).forehandlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Fortescue” (#41,635), “flushes” (#41,632), “fluorine” (#41,631). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “forehand” is #41,634. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around forehand (IPA /fɔːhænd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,634 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for forehand, with forms such as "fforehand", "foerhand", and "foreahnd". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "foreman", "forehead", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From fore- + hand. The correct English form is forehand, spelled F-O-R-E-H-A-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stroke in which the palm of the hand faces the direction of the stroke.
  2. 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. 3
    All of the part of a horse which is before the rider.
  4. 4
    The chief or most important part.
  5. 5
    Superiority; advantage; start; precedence.
  6. 6
    The hand towards the front of the board.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]those horses which are of a chicke Forehand, short necked
  2. The great Achilles, whom opinion crowns / The sinew and the forehand of our host

Etymology

From fore- + hand.

This word in other languages

coup droit(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforehand
  • foerhand
  • foreahnd
  • forehadn
  • forehandd
  • forehannd
  • forehhand
  • forehnad
  • forheand
  • forrehand
  • froehand
  • ofrehand

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fforehand1foerhand2foreahnd2forehadn2forehandd1forehannd1forehhand1forehnad2
Edit distance from "forehand"

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 "forehand"?
"forehand" is spelled F-O-R-E-H-A-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔːhænd/.
What does "forehand" mean?
As a noun, "forehand" means: A stroke in which the palm of the hand faces the direction of the stroke.
What words are commonly confused with "forehand"?
"forehand" is commonly confused with "foreman", "forehead". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "forehand"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forehand" is /fɔːhænd/. 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 "forehand"?
From fore- + hand. 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 "forehand", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fluorine#41,631etcetera#41,615envisage#41,613engraver#41,611

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

elucidate12 variantshollering12 variantshomeward12 variantsdemotion12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list