forth

/fɔːθ/

//fɔːθ// adv

"forth" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“forth” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,625. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,625
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Forward in time, place or degree.

Corpus desk

Index EN-forth · forth · English

forth · rank #3,625 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,625
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH forgotten

Nearest frequency peer: forgotten (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “forth”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “forth” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

forth vs forum
60% similar
forth vs forty
80% similar
forth vs froth
60% similar

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

Key facts for forth
PropertyValue
Headwordforth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/fɔːθ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,625
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “forth” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).forthlands 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 “forgotten” (#3,624), “gods” (#3,626), “enemies” (#3,623). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around forth (IPA /fɔːθ/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #3,625 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for forth, with forms such as "fforth", "forht", and "forrth". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "forum", "forty", "froth", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forth, from Old English forþ, from Proto-West Germanic *forþ, from Proto-Germanic *furþą, from Proto-Indo-European *pŕ̥-to-, from *per-. Cognates include Dutch voort and German fort. See also ford. The correct English form is forth, spelled F-O-R-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Forward in time, place or degree.
  2. 2
    Out into view; from a particular place or position.
  3. 3
    Beyond a (certain) boundary; away; abroad; out.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. From this time forth, I never will speak word.
  2. “[…] They talk of you as if you were Croesus—and I expect the beggars sponge on you unconscionably.” And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes.

Etymology

From Middle English forth, from Old English forþ, from Proto-West Germanic *forþ, from Proto-Germanic *furþą, from Proto-Indo-European *pŕ̥-to-, from *per-. Cognates include Dutch voort and German fort. See also ford.

Synonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforth
  • forht
  • forrth
  • forthh
  • fortth
  • fotrh
  • ofrth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

fforth1forht2forrth1forthh1fortth1fotrh2ofrth2
Edit distance from "forth"

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 "forth"?
"forth" is spelled F-O-R-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔːθ/.
What does "forth" mean?
As an adverb, "forth" means: Forward in time, place or degree.
What words are commonly confused with "forth"?
"forth" is commonly confused with "forum", "forty", "froth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "forth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forth" is /fɔːθ/. 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 "forth"?
From Middle English forth, from Old English forþ, from Proto-West Germanic *forþ, from Proto-Germanic *furþą, from Proto-Indo-European *pŕ̥-to-, from *per-. Cognates include Dutch voort and German fort. See also ford. 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 "forth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "forth". Here's where to go from here.

  • "forth" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "forum". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,625 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list