heretofore
here·to·fore/ˌhɪətəˈfɔː/adverb
heretofore is spelled H-E-R-E-T-O-F-O-R-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables (here·to·fore). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, heretofore means “Before now, until now, up to the present time; from the beginning to this point” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in heretofore?
| Letters | 10: H-E-R-E-T-O-F-O-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: here·to·fore |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,633rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 heretofore?
Heretofore appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd 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 heretofore?
- UK /ˌhɪətəˈfɔː/
- UK /ˌhɪətʊˈfɔː/
- UK /ˌhɪətəˈfɔə/
Heretofore has 3 syllables, split here·to·fore in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-heretofore.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with heretofore?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as heretofore from its last stressed vowel (/ɔ/, British pronunciation):
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).
What does heretofore mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Before now, until now, up to the present time; from the beginning to this point.
We now make available these works which were heretofore unpublished.
- 2
Previously within the present text; earlier herein.
heretofore referred to as
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Heretofore in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense up to the present time:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | jusqu'alors, jusqu'ici |
| German | bislang, vordem |
| Portuguese | até agora |
| Spanish | anteriormente, previamente, hasta la fecha, hasta ahora |
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 heretofore come from?
From Middle English heretoforn, equivalent to here (“here”) + toforn (“before”), from Old English tōforan (“before”). More at here, tofore.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).