foreign

/ˈfɒɹɪn/

//ˈfɒɹɪn// adj

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

"foreign" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“foreign” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #875 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#875
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Located outside a country or place, especially one's own.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

foreign vs foreman
71% similar
foreign vs foreigner
78% similar
foreign vs feign
71% similar

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

Key facts for foreign
PropertyValue
Headwordforeign
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfɒɹɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#875
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “foreign” 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). foreign lands here:

#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 foreign is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfɒɹɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #875 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for foreign, with forms such as "fforeign", "foerign", and "foregin". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "foreman", "foreigner", "feign", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English foreyn, forein, from Old French forain, from Vulgar Latin *forānus (“outsider, outlander”), from Latin forās (“outside, outdoors”) or forīs (“outside, outdoors”). Displaced native Old English elþēodiġ (“foreign”) and now-dialectal Englis… The correct English form is foreign, spelled F-O-R-E-I-G-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Located outside a country or place, especially one's own.
  2. 2
    Originating from, characteristic of, belonging to, or being a citizen of a country or place other than the one under discussion.
  3. 3
    Relating to a different nation.
  4. 4
    Not characteristic of or naturally taken in by an organism or system.
  5. 5
    Alien; strange; uncharacteristic.
  6. 6
    Held at a distance; excluded; exiled.
  7. 7
    From a different legal jurisdiction (state, province), even if within the same country.
  8. 8
    Belonging to a different organization, company etc.
  9. 9
    Outside, outdoors, outdoor.

Etymology

From Middle English foreyn, forein, from Old French forain, from Vulgar Latin *forānus (“outsider, outlander”), from Latin forās (“outside, outdoors”) or forīs (“outside, outdoors”). Displaced native Old English elþēodiġ (“foreign”) and now-dialectal English fremd, from Old English fremde (“strange, foreign”). The silent -g- added perhaps by analogy with reign (compare also sovereign which was similarly altered).

Synonyms

overseasinternationalalienfremdextraneousacquiredadditionaladventitiousascititiousforeignintrusiveoutlandishstrangesupplementaltramontane

Antonyms

domesticnativeindigenousinnatenatural

This word in other languages

extraño(Español)étranger(Français)fremd(Deutsch)estrangeiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: fforeign,foerign,foregin,foreiggn,foreignn,foreing,foriegn,forreign,froeign,ofreign

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fforeign1foerign2foregin2foreiggn1foreignn1foreing2foriegn2forreign1
Edit distance from "foreign"

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 "foreign"?
"foreign" is spelled F-O-R-E-I-G-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɒɹɪn/.
What does "foreign" mean?
As an adjective, "foreign" means: Located outside a country or place, especially one's own.
What words are commonly confused with "foreign"?
"foreign" is commonly confused with "foreman", "foreigner", "feign". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "foreign"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foreign" is /ˈfɒɹɪn/. 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 "foreign"?
From Middle English foreyn, forein, from Old French forain, from Vulgar Latin *forānus (“outsider, outlander”), from Latin forās (“outside, outdoors”) or forīs (“outside, outdoors”). Displaced native Old English elþēodiġ (“foreign”) and now-dialec... 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 “foreign”

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

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list