foyer

/ˈfɔɪ.eɪ/

//ˈfɔɪ.eɪ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“foyer” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,764. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,764
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lobby, corridor, or waiting room, used in a hotel, theater, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-foyer · foyer · English

foyer · rank #25,764 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,764
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Flemish

Nearest frequency peer: Flemish (-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 “foyer”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “foyer” 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).

foyer vs freer
60% similar
foyer vs fryer
80% similar
foyer vs Foyle
40% similar

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

Key facts for foyer
PropertyValue
Headwordfoyer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɔɪ.eɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#25,764
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “foyer”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).foyerlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Flemish” (#25,763), “fra” (#25,765), “filament” (#25,761). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “foyer” is #25,764. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around foyer (IPA /ˈfɔɪ.eɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,764 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 foyer, with forms such as "ffoyer", "foeyr", and "foyerr". 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, "freer", "fryer", "Foyle", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French foyer (“hearth, lobby”), in turn from Vulgar Latin *focārium, from Late Latin focārius, from Latin focus (“hearth”). Cognate with Spanish hogar (“home”). The correct English form is foyer, spelled F-O-Y-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lobby, corridor, or waiting room, used in a hotel, theater, etc.
  2. 2
    The crucible or basin in a furnace which receives the molten metal.
  3. 3
    A hostel offering accommodation and work opportunities to homeless young people.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We had a drink in the foyer waiting for the play to start.
  2. Now it's big black cars and Riviera views / And your lover in the foyer doesn't even know you / And your secrets end up splashed on the news front page

Etymology

Borrowed from French foyer (“hearth, lobby”), in turn from Vulgar Latin *focārium, from Late Latin focārius, from Latin focus (“hearth”). Cognate with Spanish hogar (“home”).

This word in other languages

zaguán(Español)foyer(Français)Foyer(Deutsch)saguão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffoyer
  • foeyr
  • foyerr
  • foyre
  • foyyer
  • fyoer
  • ofyer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffoyer1foeyr2foyerr1foyre2foyyer1fyoer2ofyer2
Edit distance from "foyer"

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 "foyer"?
"foyer" is spelled F-O-Y-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɔɪ.eɪ/.
What does "foyer" mean?
As a noun, "foyer" means: A lobby, corridor, or waiting room, used in a hotel, theater, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "foyer"?
"foyer" is commonly confused with "freer", "fryer", "Foyle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "foyer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foyer" is /ˈfɔɪ.eɪ/. 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 "foyer"?
Borrowed from French foyer (“hearth, lobby”), in turn from Vulgar Latin *focārium, from Late Latin focārius, from Latin focus (“hearth”). Cognate with Spanish hogar (“home”). 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 "foyer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Goers#25,776Enoch#25,750grime#25,779heron#25,783

Similar misspelling depth

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

inert7 variantsLeung7 variantslumen7 variantsbugged7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list