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Foriegn or foreign?

Did you mean foreign? Here's the right spelling and how to remember it.

Incorrect

foriegn

Correct

foreign

Letter by letter
CorrectWrong

Correct spelling: foreign. Misspelling: foriegn.

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 “foriegn”

The misspelling “foriegn” is only one letter off: it writes IE instead of EI, the classic "i before e" trap.

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.

Other misspellings of “foreign”

People also write “foreing” and “forein”. Here is where each one goes wrong.

“foreing”

Letter by letter
CorrectWrong

Correct spelling: foreign. Misspelling: foreing.

letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there

The misspelling “foreing” is only one letter off: it swaps the order of G and N.

“forein”

Letter by letter
CorrectWrong

Correct spelling: foreign. Misspelling: forein.

letters the misspelling gets wrong or leaves out letters that shouldn't be there

The misspelling “forein” is only one letter off: it leaves out the silent G, a letter you barely hear when the word is spoken.

What does “foreign” mean?

foreign adjective

  1. of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)

    “foreign trade”

  2. relating to or originating in or characteristic of another place or part of the world

    “foreign nations”

    Synonyms:strange

  3. not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something

    “an economic theory alien to the spirit of capitalism”

    Synonyms:alien

  4. 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?

f 4o 1r 1e 1i 1g 2n 1

11 points in Scrabble · 13 in Words With Friends

  • Scrabble (US)
  • Scrabble (UK)
  • Words With Friends

“foriegn” is not accepted in any of these games. See every word you can make from FOREIGN.

Foreign: quick answers

Is it foriegn or foreign?
The correct spelling is foreign. “foriegn” is a misspelling: it does not appear in standard dictionaries or in the Scrabble and Words With Friends word lists. “foreing” and “forein” are wrong too.
How can I remember how to spell foreign?
Foreign is one of the exceptions to "i before e": for-EI-gn.
What does foreign mean?
Foreign means: of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own).