foster

/ˈfɒs.tə/

//ˈfɒs.tə// adj

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

"foster" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“foster” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,085. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,085
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Providing parental care to children not related to oneself.

Corpus desk

Index EN-foster · foster · English

foster · rank #4,085 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,085
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH fleet

Nearest frequency peer: fleet (-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 “foster”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “foster” 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).

foster vs foyer
67% similar
foster vs fowler
67% similar
foster vs frosted
71% similar

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

Key facts for foster
PropertyValue
Headwordfoster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfɒs.tə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,085
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “foster”

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).fosterlands 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 “fleet” (#4,084), “fuckin” (#4,086), “expenses” (#4,083). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “foster” is #4,085. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around foster (IPA /ˈfɒs.tə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #4,085 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for foster, with forms such as "ffoster", "fosetr", and "fosster". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "foyer", "fowler", "frosted", 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 foster, from Old English fōstor (“food, sustenance”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōstr, from Proto-Germanic *fōstrą (“nourishment, food”). Cognate with Middle Dutch voester (“nursemaid”), Middle Low German vôster (“food”), Old Norse fóstr… The correct English form is foster, spelled F-O-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Providing parental care to children not related to oneself.
  2. 2
    Receiving such care.
  3. 3
    Related by such care.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. foster parents
  2. a foster child

Etymology

From Middle English foster, from Old English fōstor (“food, sustenance”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōstr, from Proto-Germanic *fōstrą (“nourishment, food”). Cognate with Middle Dutch voester (“nursemaid”), Middle Low German vôster (“food”), Old Norse fóstr (“nurturing, education, alimony, child support”), Danish foster (“fetus”), Swedish foster (“fetus”).

This word in other languages

adoptivo(Español)adoptant(Français)Pflege-(Deutsch)adotivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffoster
  • fosetr
  • fosster
  • fosterr
  • fostre
  • fostter
  • fotser
  • fsoter
  • ofster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffoster1fosetr2fosster1fosterr1fostre2fostter1fotser2fsoter2
Edit distance from "foster"

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 "foster"?
"foster" is spelled F-O-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɒs.tə/.
What does "foster" mean?
As an adjective, "foster" means: Providing parental care to children not related to oneself.
What words are commonly confused with "foster"?
"foster" is commonly confused with "foyer", "fowler", "frosted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "foster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foster" is /ˈfɒs.tə/. 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 "foster"?
From Middle English foster, from Old English fōstor (“food, sustenance”), from Proto-West Germanic *fōstr, from Proto-Germanic *fōstrą (“nourishment, food”). Cognate with Middle Dutch voester (“nursemaid”), Middle Low German vôster (“food”), Old N... 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 "foster", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fuckin#4,086ethnic#4,082genius#4,089commit#4,067

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Nigeria9 variantscolumn9 variantspriest9 variantsproven9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list