foi

\fwa\

/\fwa\/ noun

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

The verdict

“foi” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,478 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,478
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Croyance aux dogmes de la religion, en Dieu.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

foi vs ft
33% similar
foi vs Fs
0% similar
foi vs FP
0% similar

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

Key facts for foi
PropertyValue
Headwordfoi
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fwa\
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,478
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “foi” sits in French 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). foi lands here:

#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 French entry for foi is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fwa\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,478 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for foi, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ft", "Fs", "FP", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is foi, spelled F-O-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Croyance aux dogmes de la religion, en Dieu.
  2. 2
    Objet de la foi ; dogmes qu’une religion propose à croire comme révélés de Dieu.
  3. 3
    Cette religion même.
  4. 4
    Fidélité, exactitude à tenir sa parole, à remplir ses promesses, ses engagements ; ou assurance donnée de garder sa parole, sa promesse.
  5. 5
    L’obligation que l’on contracte ; l’assurance que l’on donne de quelque chose par les traités, par les serments, etc.
  6. 6
    Croyance ; confiance.
  7. 7
    Témoignage ; assurance ; preuve.
  8. 8
    salutation ; symbole héraldique formé par une salutation par une poignée de main.

This word in other languages

confidence(English)fe(Español)Glaube(Deutsch)crença(Português)

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "foi"?
"foi" is spelled F-O-I. The IPA pronunciation is \fwa\.
What does "foi" mean?
As a noun, "foi" means: Croyance aux dogmes de la religion, en Dieu.
What words are commonly confused with "foi"?
"foi" is commonly confused with "ft", "Fs", "FP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "foi"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foi" is \fwa\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "foi" come from?
"foi" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “foi”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is F-O-I - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \fwa\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ft” - see the side-by-side comparison. foi vs ft
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list