foundry

/ˈfaʊn.dɹi/

//ˈfaʊn.dɹi// noun

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

"foundry" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“foundry” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,091 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,091
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A facility that melts metals in special furnaces and pours the molten metal into molds to make products. Foundries are usually specified according to the type of metal dealt with: iron foundry, bra...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

foundry vs found
71% similar
foundry vs fondly
71% similar
foundry vs founded
71% similar

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

Key facts for foundry
PropertyValue
Headwordfoundry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfaʊn.dɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,091
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “foundry” 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). foundry lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for foundry is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfaʊn.dɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,091 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for foundry, with forms such as "ffoundry", "fonudry", and "foudnry". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "found", "fondly", "founded", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French fonderie. By surface analysis, found (“to melt (metals)”) + -ry (“place; process”). The correct English form is foundry, spelled F-O-U-N-D-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A facility that melts metals in special furnaces and pours the molten metal into molds to make products. Foundries are usually specified according to the type of metal dealt with: iron foundry, brass foundry, etc.
  2. 2
    The act, process, or art of casting metals; founding.
  3. 3
    A plant that produces chips out of semiconductors in the microelectronics industry.

Etymology

From French fonderie. By surface analysis, found (“to melt (metals)”) + -ry (“place; process”).

Synonyms

fab

This word in other languages

fundición(Español)fonderie(Français)Gießerei(Deutsch)fundição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffoundry,fonudry,foudnry,founddry,foundrry,foundryy,foundyr,founndry,founrdy,fuondry,ofundry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of foundry - 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.

ffoundry1fonudry2foudnry2founddry1foundrry1foundryy1foundyr2founndry1
Edit distance from "foundry"

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 "foundry"?
"foundry" is spelled F-O-U-N-D-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfaʊn.dɹi/.
What does "foundry" mean?
As a noun, "foundry" means: A facility that melts metals in special furnaces and pours the molten metal into molds to make products. Foundries are usually specified according to the type of metal dealt with: iron foundry, bra...
What words are commonly confused with "foundry"?
"foundry" is commonly confused with "found", "fondly", "founded". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "foundry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foundry" is /ˈfaʊn.dɹi/. 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 "foundry"?
From French fonderie. By surface analysis, found (“to melt (metals)”) + -ry (“place; process”). 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.

Using “foundry”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-O-U-N-D-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfaʊn.dɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “found” - see the side-by-side comparison. foundry vs found
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list