forehead

/ˈfɔːhɛd/

//ˈfɔːhɛd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“forehead” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,667. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,667
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The part of the face above the eyebrows and below the hairline.

Corpus desk

Index EN-forehead · forehead · English

forehead · rank #8,667 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,667
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foreigners

Nearest frequency peer: foreigners (+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 “forehead”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “forehead” 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).

forehead vs forehand
75% similar

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

Key facts for forehead
PropertyValue
Headwordforehead
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɔːhɛd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,667
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “forehead”

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).foreheadlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “foreigners” (#8,668), “FDA” (#8,665), “forgiveness” (#8,669). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “forehead” is #8,667. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around forehead (IPA /ˈfɔːhɛd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,667 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for forehead, with forms such as "fforehead", "foerhead", and "foreehad". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "forehand", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forhed, forheed, from Old English forehēafod, from Proto-West Germanic *forēhaubid, corresponding to fore- + head. Cognate with Scots foreheid (“forehead”), Dutch voorhoofd (“forehead”), German Vorhaupt (“forehead”), Danish forhoved (“br… The correct English form is forehead, spelled F-O-R-E-H-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The part of the face above the eyebrows and below the hairline.
  2. 2
    confidence; audacity; impudence.
  3. 3
    The upper part of a mobile phone, above the screen.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 'This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare, in the pictures of him), while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said, ‘everybody has won, and all must have prizes.’'
  2. Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes.[…]She put back a truant curl from her forehead where it had sought egress to the world, and looked him full in the face now, drawing a deep breath which caused the round of her bosom to lift the lace at her throat.

Etymology

From Middle English forhed, forheed, from Old English forehēafod, from Proto-West Germanic *forēhaubid, corresponding to fore- + head. Cognate with Scots foreheid (“forehead”), Dutch voorhoofd (“forehead”), German Vorhaupt (“forehead”), Danish forhoved (“brow; forehead; face”). Compare also West Frisian foarholle (“forehead”), German Low German Vörkopp (“forehead”).

Synonyms

brow

This word in other languages

frente(Español)front(Français)Stirn(Deutsch)testa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforehead
  • foerhead
  • foreehad
  • forehaed
  • foreheadd
  • foreheda
  • forehhead
  • forheead
  • forrehead
  • froehead
  • ofrehead

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of forehead - 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.

fforehead1foerhead2foreehad2forehaed2foreheadd1foreheda2forehhead1forheead2
Edit distance from "forehead"

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 "forehead"?
"forehead" is spelled F-O-R-E-H-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɔːhɛd/.
What does "forehead" mean?
As a noun, "forehead" means: The part of the face above the eyebrows and below the hairline.
What words are commonly confused with "forehead"?
"forehead" is commonly confused with "forehand". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "forehead"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forehead" is /ˈfɔːhɛd/. 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 "forehead"?
From Middle English forhed, forheed, from Old English forehēafod, from Proto-West Germanic *forēhaubid, corresponding to fore- + head. Cognate with Scots foreheid (“forehead”), Dutch voorhoofd (“forehead”), German Vorhaupt (“forehead”), Danish for... 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 "forehead", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

dominate#8,658inclined#8,681informal#8,682maturity#8,689

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Gregory11 variantscrashes11 variantsconsult11 variantslending11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list