A foreword introduces a book. Forward means toward the front or, as a verb, to send something on. An editor can forward a book’s foreword to the production team.
Forward and foreword in sentences
- “Please forward the revised schedule to the team.” As a verb, forward means to send something on to another recipient. It also describes direction in “We moved forward in line.”
- “A former student wrote the foreword to the teacher’s memoir.” A foreword appears before the main text and is often written by someone other than the author.
Spelling a book’s foreword
Think of a foreword as words placed before the main text. A preface is commonly written by the book’s author, while a foreword often comes from a guest contributor.
Try it
“Could you ___ the draft ___ to the editor?”
Show the answer
Use forward for sending the file and foreword for the book’s introductory section.
For more words with similar sounds and different spellings, see the guide to confusing words.
