foreword

/ˈfɔːwɜːd/

//ˈfɔːwɜːd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“foreword” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,453. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,453
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An introductory section preceding the main text of a book or other document; especially, one written by another person (not the author of the work thus introduced).

Corpus desk

Index EN-foreword · foreword · English

foreword · rank #24,453 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,453
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foraging

Nearest frequency peer: foraging (-2 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 “foreword”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “foreword” 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).

foreword vs forward
75% similar
foreword vs firewood
75% similar
foreword vs firework
75% similar

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

Key facts for foreword
PropertyValue
Headwordforeword
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɔːwɜːd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#24,453
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “foreword”

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).forewordlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “foraging” (#24,451), “focussed” (#24,450), “fy” (#24,456). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “foreword” is #24,453. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around foreword (IPA /ˈfɔːwɜːd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,453 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An introductory section preceding the main text of a book or other document; especially, one written by another person (not the author of the work thus introduced).".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for foreword, with forms such as "fforeword", "foerword", and "foreowrd". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "forward", "firewood", "firework", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Morphologically fore- + word. Calque of German Vorwort, itself a calque of Latin praefatio (“preface”). Cognate with German Low German Vörwoord (“foreword”), Dutch voorwoord (“foreword”), West Frisian foarwurd (“foreword”), Danish forord (“preface; proviso”… The correct English form is foreword, spelled F-O-R-E-W-O-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    An introductory section preceding the main text of a book or other document; especially, one written by another person (not the author of the work thus introduced).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He closes the foreword by acknowledging that his proposals would have far-reaching impacts on railway staff, communities and industry - and passes the buck onto government to ensure that these consequences are managed appropriately.

Etymology

Morphologically fore- + word. Calque of German Vorwort, itself a calque of Latin praefatio (“preface”). Cognate with German Low German Vörwoord (“foreword”), Dutch voorwoord (“foreword”), West Frisian foarwurd (“foreword”), Danish forord (“preface; proviso”), Swedish förord (“foreword”). Compare also Old English forword, foreword (“proviso; condition”).

Synonyms

forespeechforetaleforetalkforeword

Antonyms

afterwordback matterepilogueendsayconclusionlast wordpostamble

This word in other languages

prefacio(Español)avant-propos(Français)Vorwort(Deutsch)prefácio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforeword
  • foerword
  • foreowrd
  • forewodr
  • forewordd
  • foreworrd
  • forewrod
  • forewword
  • forreword
  • forweord
  • froeword
  • ofreword

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of foreword - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

fforeword1foerword2foreowrd2forewodr2forewordd1foreworrd1forewrod2forewword1
Edit distance from "foreword"

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 "foreword"?
"foreword" is spelled F-O-R-E-W-O-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɔːwɜːd/.
What does "foreword" mean?
As a noun, "foreword" means: An introductory section preceding the main text of a book or other document; especially, one written by another person (not the author of the work thus introduced).
What words are commonly confused with "foreword"?
"foreword" is commonly confused with "forward", "firewood", "firework". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "foreword"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foreword" is /ˈfɔːwɜːd/. 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 "foreword"?
Morphologically fore- + word. Calque of German Vorwort, itself a calque of Latin praefatio (“preface”). Cognate with German Low German Vörwoord (“foreword”), Dutch voorwoord (“foreword”), West Frisian foarwurd (“foreword”), Danish forord (“preface... 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 "foreword", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

foraging#24,451focussed#24,450epilogue#24,437hegemony#24,469

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

inaction12 variantsdevolved12 variantsdarkened12 variantscommotion12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list