foil

\fɔjl\

/\fɔjl\/ noun

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

The verdict

“foil” is uncommon French (frequency #87,647 among 137,178 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,647
frequency rank, French
137,178
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Surface profilée immergée pour fournir une portance dynamique (liée à la vitesse) dont sont équipés les bateaux du type hydroptère.

Key facts for foil
PropertyValue
Headwordfoil
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fɔjl\
Letters4
Frequency rank#87,647
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “foil” 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). foil lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

foil is uncommon French at frequency #87,647 among 137,178 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \fɔjl\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Surface profilée immergée pour fournir une portance dynamique (liée à la vitesse) dont sont équipés les bateaux du type hydroptère.".

No misspelling variants are generated for foil in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is foil, spelled F-O-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Surface profilée immergée pour fournir une portance dynamique (liée à la vitesse) dont sont équipés les bateaux du type hydroptère.

Synonyms

plan porteur

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 "foil"?
"foil" is spelled F-O-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is \fɔjl\.
What does "foil" mean?
As a noun, "foil" means: Surface profilée immergée pour fournir une portance dynamique (liée à la vitesse) dont sont équipés les bateaux du type hydroptère.
How do you pronounce "foil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "foil" is \fɔjl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "foil" come from?
"foil" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “foil”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is F-O-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \fɔjl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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