front

Name: front, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/fɹʌnt/

//fɹʌnt// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“front” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #529 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#529
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 8
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The foremost side of something or the end that faces the direction it normally moves.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

front vs fruit

60% similar

front vs frost

80% similar

front vs froze

60% similar

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

Key facts for front
Property	Value
Headword	front
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/fɹʌnt/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#529
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “front” 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). front lands here:

#529

#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 front is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɹʌnt/. Corpus data places it at rank #529 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 20 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for front, with forms such as "ffront", "fornt", and "frnot". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fruit", "frost", "froze", 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 front, frunt, frount, from Old French front, frunt, from Latin frōns, frontem (“forehead”). Doublet of frons. The correct English form is front, spelled F-R-O-N-T.

Definition

1
The foremost side of something or the end that faces the direction it normally moves.
2
The side of a building with the main entrance.
3
A field of activity.
4
A person or institution acting as the public face of some other, covert group.
5
The interface or transition zone between two airmasses of different density, often resulting in precipitation. Since the temperature distribution is the most important regulator of atmospheric density, a front almost invariably separates airmasses of different temperature.
6
An area where armies are engaged in conflict, especially the line of contact.
7
The lateral space occupied by an element measured from the extremity of one flank to the extremity of the other flank.
8
The direction of the enemy.
9
When a combat situation does not exist or is not assumed, the direction toward which the command is faced.
10
A major military subdivision of the Soviet Army.
11
Cheek; boldness; impudence.
12
A woman's breast.
13
An act, show, façade, persona: an intentional and false impression of oneself.
14
That which covers the foremost part of the head: a front piece of false hair worn by women.
15
The most conspicuous part.
16
The beginning.
17
A seafront or coastal promenade.
18
The forehead or brow, the part of the face above the eyes; sometimes, also, the whole face.
19
The bellhop whose turn it is to answer a client's call, which is often the word "front" used as an exclamation.
20
A grill (jewellery worn on front teeth).

Etymology

From Middle English front, frunt, frount, from Old French front, frunt, from Latin frōns, frontem (“forehead”). Doublet of frons.

Synonyms

fore

Antonyms

back rear derrière

This word in other languages

frente(Español)avant(Français)Vorderseite(Deutsch)frente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffront,fornt,frnot,fronnt,frontt,frotn,frront,rfont

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "front"

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 "front"?

"front" is spelled F-R-O-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /fɹʌnt/.

What does "front" mean?

As a noun, "front" means: The foremost side of something or the end that faces the direction it normally moves.

What words are commonly confused with "front"?

"front" is commonly confused with "fruit", "frost", "froze". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "front"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "front" is /fɹʌnt/. 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 "front"?

From Middle English front, frunt, frount, from Old French front, frunt, from Latin frōns, frontem (“forehead”). Doublet of frons. 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 “front”

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

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