froward
/ˈfɹoʊ.ɚd/obsolete
froward is spelled F-R-O-W-A-R-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 31 million words in written English, the 169,822nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, froward means “Disobedient, contrary, unmanageable; difficult to deal with; with an evil disposition” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in froward?
| Letters | 7: F-R-O-W-A-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 31 million words; the 169,822nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is froward?
Froward appears about once in every 31 million words in written English, the 169,822nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce froward?
- UK /ˈfɹəʊ.(w)əd/
- US /ˈfɹoʊ.ɚd/
Froward has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-froward.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with froward?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as froward (/oʊəɹd/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: forward.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of froward
- more froward comparative
- most froward superlative
- frowards
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does froward mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
archaicDisobedient, contrary, unmanageable; difficult to deal with; with an evil disposition.
But in the meanwhile, for fear lest if he would wax never the better he would wax much the worse; and from gentle, smooth, sweet, and courteous, might wax angry, rough, froward, and sour, and thereupon be troublous and tedious to the world
preposition
- 1
obsoleteAway from.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Froward in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Disobedient, contrary, unmanageable:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déraisonnable, réfractaire, inmaîtrisable, désobéissant, immaîtrisable |
| German | eigensinnig, trotzig |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does froward come from?
From Middle English froward, fraward, equivalent to fro + -ward. Compare Old English fromweard, framweard (“turned away, having the back turned”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).