formidable

/fɔːˈmɪdəbəl/

//fɔːˈmɪdəbəl// adj

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

"formidable" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“formidable” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,050. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,050
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing fear, dread, awe, or discouragement as a result of size, strength, or some other impressive feature; commanding respect; causing wonder or astonishment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-formidable · formidable · English

formidable · rank #12,050 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,050
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fo

Nearest frequency peer: fo (-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 “formidable”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “formidable” 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
Key facts for formidable
PropertyValue
Headwordformidable
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/fɔːˈmɪdəbəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#12,050
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “formidable”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “fo” (#12,049), “Frankie” (#12,051), “flipped” (#12,048). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “formidable” is #12,050. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around formidable (IPA /fɔːˈmɪdəbəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,050 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for formidable, with forms such as "fformidable", "fomridable", and "forimdable". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English formidable, from Old French formidable, formible, from Latin formīdābilis (“formidable, terrible”), from formīdō (“fear, dread”). The correct English form is formidable, spelled F-O-R-M-I-D-A-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing fear, dread, awe, or discouragement as a result of size, strength, or some other impressive feature; commanding respect; causing wonder or astonishment.
  2. 2
    Difficult to defeat or overcome.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The latter part of the fifteenth century prepared a train of future events, that ended by raising France to a formidable power, which has ever since been, from time to time, the principal object of jealousy to the other European nations.
  2. […] and I am more afraid of those people than I am of Anytus and his colleagues, although they are formidable enough.

Etymology

From Middle English formidable, from Old French formidable, formible, from Latin formīdābilis (“formidable, terrible”), from formīdō (“fear, dread”).

This word in other languages

formidable(Español)redoutable(Français)respekteinflößend(Deutsch)formidável(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fformidable
  • fomridable
  • forimdable
  • formdiable
  • formiadble
  • formidabble
  • formidabel
  • formidablle
  • formidalbe
  • formidbale
  • formiddable
  • formidible
  • formmidable
  • forrmidable
  • fromidable
  • ofrmidable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fformidable1fomridable2forimdable2formdiable2formiadble2formidabble1formidabel2formidablle1
Edit distance from "formidable"

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 "formidable"?
"formidable" is spelled F-O-R-M-I-D-A-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔːˈmɪdəbəl/.
What does "formidable" mean?
As an adjective, "formidable" means: Causing fear, dread, awe, or discouragement as a result of size, strength, or some other impressive feature; commanding respect; causing wonder or astonishment.
What are common misspellings of "formidable"?
Common misspellings include "fformidable", "fomridable", "forimdable", "formdiable", "formiadble". The correct spelling is "formidable".
How do you pronounce "formidable"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "formidable" is /fɔːˈmɪdəbəl/. 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 "formidable"?
From Middle English formidable, from Old French formidable, formible, from Latin formīdābilis (“formidable, terrible”), from formīdō (“fear, dread”). 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 "formidable", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

discomfort#12,035derivative#12,034inaccurate#12,076blackberry#12,009

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

drastically16 variantsnegligence16 variantsstandpoint16 variantsprovisional16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list