forsooth
/fɔɹˈsuθ/
"forsooth" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“forsooth” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Used as an intensifier, often ironic: indeed, really, truthfully.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | forsooth |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /fɔɹˈsuθ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “forsooth” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for forsooth is 8 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɔɹˈsuθ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Used as an intensifier, often ironic: indeed, really, truthfully.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for forsooth, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forsothe, forsoþe, for sothe, from Old English for sōþ (“truly, for certain, forsooth”), equivalent to for (“for, by”) + sooth (“truth”). The correct English form is forsooth, spelled F-O-R-S-O-O-T-H.
Definition
- 1Used as an intensifier, often ironic: indeed, really, truthfully.
Etymology
From Middle English forsothe, forsoþe, for sothe, from Old English for sōþ (“truly, for certain, forsooth”), equivalent to for (“for, by”) + sooth (“truth”).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “forsooth”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-S-O-O-T-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /fɔɹˈsuθ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.