Foyle

/fɔɪl/

//fɔɪl// name

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

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

The verdict

“Foyle” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,469. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,469
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A river in Ireland which forms part of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, before flowing through Derry (Londonderry) and into Lough Foyle and the Atlantic Ocean.

Corpus desk

Index EN-foyle · Foyle · English

Foyle · rank #46,469 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,469
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH foreshore

Nearest frequency peer: foreshore (-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 “Foyle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Foyle” 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).

Foyle vs foe
40% similar
Foyle vs foy
40% similar
Foyle vs file
40% similar

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

Key facts for Foyle
PropertyValue
HeadwordFoyle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/fɔɪl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#46,469
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Foyle”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Foylelands 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 “foreshore” (#46,468), “Fogarty” (#46,467), “fluted” (#46,466). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “Foyle” is #46,469. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around Foyle (IPA /fɔɪl/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #46,469 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Foyle, with forms such as "ffoyle", "foyel", and "foylle". 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, "foe", "foy", "file", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Irish Feabhal, from Middle Irish Febal. The correct English form is Foyle, spelled F-O-Y-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A river in Ireland which forms part of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, before flowing through Derry (Londonderry) and into Lough Foyle and the Atlantic Ocean.
  2. 2
    A surname.

Etymology

From Irish Feabhal, from Middle Irish Febal.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ffoyle
  • foyel
  • foylle
  • foyyle
  • fyole
  • ofyle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ffoyle1foyel2foylle1foyyle1fyole2ofyle2
Edit distance from "Foyle"

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 "Foyle"?
"Foyle" is spelled F-O-Y-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔɪl/.
What does "Foyle" mean?
As a proper noun, "Foyle" means: A river in Ireland which forms part of the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, before flowing through Derry (Londonderry) and into Lough Foyle and the Atlantic Ocean.
What words are commonly confused with "Foyle"?
"Foyle" is commonly confused with "foe", "foy", "file". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Foyle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Foyle" is /fɔɪl/. 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 "Foyle"?
From Irish Feabhal, from Middle Irish Febal. 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 "Foyle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

feely#46,460gazes#46,480gilly#46,484gizmo#46,485

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

guano6 variantsguava6 variantsGwyn6 variantsGwynn6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list