fourche

\fuʁʃ\

/\fuʁʃ\/ noun

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

The verdict

“fourche” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #20,730 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#20,730
frequency rank, French
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Instrument qui consiste en un long manche de bois terminé par deux ou trois branches ou pointes de bois, de fer, qui vont en s’écartant.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

fourche vs fourré
57% similar
fourche vs fournie
71% similar
fourche vs fournée
71% similar

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

Key facts for fourche
PropertyValue
Headwordfourche
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\fuʁʃ\
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,730
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fourche” 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). fourche 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 fourche is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \fuʁʃ\. Corpus data places it at rank #20,730 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for fourche, with forms such as "ffourche", "foruche", and "foucrhe". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "fourré", "fournie", "fournée", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

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 fourche, spelled F-O-U-R-C-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Instrument qui consiste en un long manche de bois terminé par deux ou trois branches ou pointes de bois, de fer, qui vont en s’écartant.
  2. 2
    Tout ce qui a la forme ou rappelle la forme de cet instrument.
  3. 3
    Chose qui se divise en deux ou trois par l’extrémité.
  4. 4
    Division, en particulier prématurée, du tronc en plusieurs branches.
  5. 5
    Pièce constituée par deux barres d’acier creux entre lesquelles tourne la roue d’une bicyclette.
  6. 6
    Tige qui relie un tramway à un fil électrique placé en l’air.
  7. 7
    Heure libre entre deux heures de cours.
  8. 8
    Couture qui sépare les jambes d’un pantalon.
  9. 9
    Jambe.

This word in other languages

pitchfork(English)horca(Español)Forke(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ffourche,foruche,foucrhe,fourcche,fourceh,fourchhe,fourhce,fourrche,fuorche,ofurche

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fourche - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ffourche1foruche2foucrhe2fourcche1fourceh2fourchhe1fourhce2fourrche1
Edit distance from "fourche"

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 "fourche"?
"fourche" is spelled F-O-U-R-C-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is \fuʁʃ\.
What does "fourche" mean?
As a noun, "fourche" means: Instrument qui consiste en un long manche de bois terminé par deux ou trois branches ou pointes de bois, de fer, qui vont en s’écartant.
What words are commonly confused with "fourche"?
"fourche" is commonly confused with "fourré", "fournie", "fournée". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fourche"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fourche" is \fuʁʃ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "fourche" come from?
"fourche" 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 “fourche”

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

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