Forein or foreign?
Did you mean foreign? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.
Incorrect
forein
Correct
foreign
Correct spelling: foreign. Misspelling: forein.
letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there
Memory tip
Foreign is one of the exceptions to "i before e": for-EI-gn.
Why people write “forein”
The misspelling “forein” is only one letter off: it leaves out the silent G, a letter you barely hear when the word is spoken.
Spell-checkers catch the mistake in a document, but not in a handwritten note, a text message or a word game. Writing the word out a few times while saying the tricky part aloud is the quickest way to make foreign automatic.
What does “foreign” mean?
foreign adjective
- of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
“foreign trade”
- relating to or originating in or characteristic of another place or part of the world
“foreign nations”
Synonyms:strange
- not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something
“an economic theory alien to the spirit of capitalism”
Synonyms:alien
- not belonging to that in which it is contained; introduced from an outside source
“water free of extraneous matter”
Synonyms:extraneous
Definitions from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Full dictionary entry
“Foreign” in a sentence
- She speaks three foreign languages.
- Foreign trade.
- Foreign nations.
- An economic theory alien to the spirit of capitalism.
Is “foreign” a playable word?
11 points in Scrabble · 13 in Words With Friends
- Scrabble (US)
- Scrabble (UK)
- Words With Friends
“forein” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from FOREIGN.