foundation

/faʊnˈdeɪʃən/

//faʊnˈdeɪʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“foundation” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,635. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,635
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-foundation · foundation · English

foundation · rank #1,635 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,635
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH follows

Nearest frequency peer: follows (-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 “foundation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “foundation” 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).

foundation vs foundations
91% similar
foundation vs foundational
83% similar

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

Key facts for foundation
PropertyValue
Headwordfoundation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/faʊnˈdeɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#1,635
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “foundation”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “follows” (#1,634), “gain” (#1,636), “ex” (#1,633). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “foundation” is #1,635. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around foundation (IPA /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,635 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for foundation, with forms such as "ffoundation", "fonudation", and "foudnation". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "foundations", "foundational", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English foundacioun, fundacioun, from Old French fondacion, from Latin fundātiō (“founding, foundation”). The correct English form is foundation, spelled F-O-U-N-D-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.
  2. 2
    That upon which anything is founded; that on which anything stands, and by which it is supported; the lowest and supporting layer of a superstructure; underbuilding.
  3. 3
    The result of the work to begin something; that which stabilizes and allows an enterprise or system to develop.
  4. 4
    In solitaire or patience games, one of the piles of cards that the player attempts to build, usually holding all cards of a suit in ascending order.
  5. 5
    The lowest and supporting part or member of a wall, including the base course and footing courses; in a frame house, the whole substructure of masonry.
  6. 6
    A donation or legacy appropriated to support a charitable institution, and constituting a permanent fund; endowment.
  7. 7
    That which is founded, or established by endowment; an endowed institution or charity.
  8. 8
    Cosmetic cream roughly skin-colored, designed to make the face appear uniform in color and texture.
  9. 9
    A basis for social bodies or intellectual disciplines.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The foundation of his institute has been wrought with difficulty.
  2. Aye Madam to be sure that is the Provoking circumstance—without Foundation—yes yes—there's the mortification indeed—for when a slanderous story is believed against one—there certainly is no comfort like the consciousness of having deserved it——

Etymology

From Middle English foundacioun, fundacioun, from Old French fondacion, from Latin fundātiō (“founding, foundation”).

This word in other languages

fundación(Español)fondation(Français)Gründung(Deutsch)fundação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffoundation
  • fonudation
  • foudnation
  • founadtion
  • foundaiton
  • foundasion
  • foundatino
  • foundationn
  • foundatoin
  • foundattion
  • founddation
  • foundtaion
  • founndation
  • fuondation
  • ofundation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of foundation - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ffoundation1fonudation2foudnation2founadtion2foundaiton2foundasion1foundatino2foundationn1
Edit distance from "foundation"

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 "foundation"?
"foundation" is spelled F-O-U-N-D-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/.
What does "foundation" mean?
As a noun, "foundation" means: The act of founding, fixing, establishing, or beginning to erect.
What words are commonly confused with "foundation"?
"foundation" is commonly confused with "foundations", "foundational". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "foundation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foundation" is /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/. 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 "foundation"?
From Middle English foundacioun, fundacioun, from Old French fondacion, from Latin fundātiō (“founding, foundation”). 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 "foundation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

apparently#1,655generation#1,601previously#1,572television#1,705

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

standards15 variantsleadership15 variantsapplication15 variantsdiscovered15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list