Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tofore

/təˈfɔː(ɹ)/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: to-fore
IPA: /təˈfɔː(ɹ)/

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep

Before.

Obsolete

adv

Before, previously.

Obsolete

conj

Before.

Obsolete

Example Sentences

"Farewell, Lavinia, my noble sister ; O would thou wert as thou tofore hast been!"

Etymology

From Middle English tofore, toforn, from Old English tōforan (“in front of”), from tō (“to”) + foran (“front, fore-part”, n.), dative case of fora (“front”). Compare Dutch tevoren (“previously”), German zuvor (“before, previously”). More at to, fore.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: tofore, tōforan

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

toforne (alternative)

Derived Forms

heretofore theretofore toforehand toforetime wheretofore

Questions

How do you pronounce tofore?: The recorded pronunciation is /təˈfɔː(ɹ)/.
What does tofore mean?: Before.
Where does tofore come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce tofore

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