Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

forethought

/ˈfɔː(ɹ)θɔːt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.47 in modern English

Syllables: fore-thought
IPA: /ˈfɔː(ɹ)θɔːt/

21

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Thinking beforehand or in advance, planning; prior or previous consideration.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Provident care; prudence.

Countable; Uncountable

adj

Thought of, or planned, beforehand.

verb

simple past and past participle of forethink

Example Sentences

"Near-synonym: foresight"
"With a little forethought we'd have planned for this contingency and not been stuck here now."
"c. 1613–1621, Francis Bacon, The judicial charge upon the commission of Oyer and Terminer held for the verge of the Court Forethought malice."

Etymology

From Middle English forethouht, forethoght, from Old English *foreþōht (“forethought”); equivalent to fore- + thought. See also forethink.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: fore
Root: forethouht, *foreþōht

Usage

Inflected Forms

forethoughts (plural)

Derived Forms

fearthought forethoughted forethoughtful forethoughtless unforethought

Frequently Paired Words

aforethought precognition foreknowledge

Synonyms

premeditation foresight aforethought premeditated caution precaution care

Rhymes With

thought brought bought caught airport taught fought sought ought wrought distraught fraught

Questions

How do you pronounce forethought?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɔː(ɹ)θɔːt/.
What does forethought mean?: Thinking beforehand or in advance, planning; prior or previous consideration.
Where does forethought come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce forethought

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “forethought”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfɔː(ɹ)θɔːt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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