forehead

Name: forehead, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈfɔːhɛd/

//ˈfɔːhɛd// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“forehead” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,667 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,667
frequency rank, English: 8
letters: 11
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The part of the face above the eyebrows and below the hairline.

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
Property	Value
Headword	forehead
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈfɔːhɛd/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#8,667
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “forehead” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). forehead lands here:

#8,667

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for forehead is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfɔːhɛd/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,667 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

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.

Using “forehead”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-E-H-E-A-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈfɔːhɛd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “forehand” - see the side-by-side comparison. forehead vs forehand
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.