foresaw

/fɔɹˈsɔ/

//fɔɹˈsɔ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“foresaw” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,700. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,700
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past of foresee

Corpus desk

Index EN-foresaw · foresaw · English

foresaw · rank #40,700 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,700
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foreskin

Nearest frequency peer: foreskin (+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 “foresaw”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “foresaw” 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).

foresaw vs forest
71% similar
foresaw vs forests
71% similar
foresaw vs foresee
71% similar

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

Key facts for foresaw
PropertyValue
Headwordforesaw
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/fɔɹˈsɔ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#40,700
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “foresaw”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “foreskin” (#40,701), “fleshed” (#40,698), “futurist” (#40,703). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “foresaw” is #40,700. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around foresaw (IPA /fɔɹˈsɔ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #40,700 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "simple past of foresee".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for foresaw, with forms such as "fforesaw", "foersaw", and "foreasw". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "forest", "forests", "foresee", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is foresaw, spelled F-O-R-E-S-A-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past of foresee

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforesaw
  • foersaw
  • foreasw
  • foresaww
  • foressaw
  • foreswa
  • forresaw
  • forseaw
  • froesaw
  • ofresaw

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fforesaw1foersaw2foreasw2foresaww1foressaw1foreswa2forresaw1forseaw2
Edit distance from "foresaw"

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 "foresaw"?
"foresaw" is spelled F-O-R-E-S-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔɹˈsɔ/.
What does "foresaw" mean?
As a verb, "foresaw" means: simple past of foresee
What words are commonly confused with "foresaw"?
"foresaw" is commonly confused with "forest", "forests", "foresee". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "foresaw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foresaw" is /fɔɹˈsɔ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "foresaw" come from?
"foresaw" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "foresaw", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fleshed#40,698Gaffney#40,706faulted#40,692gunnery#40,723

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

gulliver10 variantshumerus10 variantscreeped10 variantscreamed10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list