forelook

/fɔɹˈlʊk/

//fɔɹˈlʊk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“forelook” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To look beforehand, to preview.

Corpus desk

Index EN-forelook · forelook · English

forelook · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "F" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for forelook
PropertyValue
Headwordforelook
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/fɔɹˈlʊk/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “forelook” in English

forelookranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

forelook is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /fɔɹˈlʊk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for forelook, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English vorloken, forluken, equivalent to fore- + look. The correct English form is forelook, spelled F-O-R-E-L-O-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    To look beforehand, to preview.
  2. 2
    To look forward.

Etymology

From Middle English vorloken, forluken, equivalent to fore- + look.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "forelook"?
"forelook" is spelled F-O-R-E-L-O-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔɹˈlʊk/.
What does "forelook" mean?
As a verb, "forelook" means: To look beforehand, to preview.
How do you pronounce "forelook"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forelook" is /fɔɹˈlʊk/. 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 "forelook"?
From Middle English vorloken, forluken, equivalent to fore- + look. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list