Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

forecastle

/ˈfoʊk.səl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.26 in modern English

Syllables: fore-cas-tle
IPA: /ˈfoʊk.səl/

15

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A raised part of the upper deck at the front of a ship; the structure of this part of the ship; the crew's quarters located within it.

Example Sentences

"Holonyms: watercraft, vessel, vessel"
"My knife was at my hip. I returned to my hut for the shotgun, made sure it was loaded, and went down to the Ghost. With some difficulty, and at the expense of a wetting to the waist, I climbed aboard. The forecastle scuttle was open. I paused to listen for the breathing of the men, but there was no breathing."

Etymology

From Middle English forecastel, forcastel, (whence also Anglo-French forechasteil), equivalent to fore- + castle. Compare Dutch voorkasteel.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Prefix: fore
Root: forecastel

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈfoʊk.səl/

Inflected Forms

forecastles (plural) focastle (alternative) fo'castle (alternative) fo'c'stle (alternative) fo'c's'le (alternative)

Derived Forms

forecastled forecastleman

Phrases

forecastle lamp monkey forecastle

Frequently Paired Words

well deck foredeck afterdeck poop deck

Synonyms

fo'c'sle

Homonyms

fo'c's'le foc's'le fo'c'stle

Antonyms

aftcastle aftercastle

Questions

How do you pronounce forecastle?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfoʊk.səl/.
What does forecastle mean?: A raised part of the upper deck at the front of a ship; the structure of this part of the ship; the crew's quarters located within it.
Where does forecastle come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce forecastle

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “forecastle”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfoʊk.səl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “forecastle”.
Repeat and practice — Say “forecastle” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.