forum

\fɔ.ʁɔm\

/\fɔ.ʁɔm\/ noun

The verdict

“forum” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,198 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,198
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Place publique où les citoyens romains se réunissaient pour marchander, traiter d’affaires politiques ou économiques.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

forum vs fou
60% similar
forum vs fous
60% similar
forum vs fout
60% similar

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

Key facts for forum
PropertyValue
Headwordforum
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fɔ.ʁɔm\
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,198
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “forum” 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). forum 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 forum is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fɔ.ʁɔm\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,198 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for forum, with forms such as "fforum", "formu", and "forrum". 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, "fou", "fous", "fout", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is forum, spelled F-O-R-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Place publique où les citoyens romains se réunissaient pour marchander, traiter d’affaires politiques ou économiques.
  2. 2
    Lieu où se discutent les affaires publiques.
  3. 3
    Service permettant discussions et échanges sur un thème donné où chaque utilisateur peut lire à tout moment les interventions de tous les autres et apporter sa propre contribution sous forme d’articles.
  4. 4
    Service permettant discussions et échanges sur un thème donné.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: fforum,formu,forrum,forumm,fourm,froum,ofrum

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of forum - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

fforum1formu2forrum1forumm1fourm2froum2ofrum2
Edit distance from "forum"

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 "forum"?
"forum" is spelled F-O-R-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is \fɔ.ʁɔm\.
What does "forum" mean?
As a noun, "forum" means: Place publique où les citoyens romains se réunissaient pour marchander, traiter d’affaires politiques ou économiques.
What words are commonly confused with "forum"?
"forum" is commonly confused with "fou", "fous", "fout". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "forum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forum" is \fɔ.ʁɔm\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "forum" come from?
"forum" 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 “forum”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is F-O-R-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \fɔ.ʁɔm\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “fou” - see the side-by-side comparison. forum vs fou
  • 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