“Foul” or “Fowl”—Which to use?

“Foul” or “Fowl”

Overview

foul / fowl are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇

Definitions

foul: (noun) an act that violates the rules of a sport. (verb) hit a foul ball. (verb) commit a foul; break the rules. (verb) spot, stain, or pollute. (verb) make unclean. (verb) become soiled and dirty. (adjective) (of a baseball) not hit between the foul lines.

fowl: (verb) hunt fowl. (verb) hunt fowl in the forest.

Pronunciation

foul: f·AW·l

fowl: f·AW·l

Trends

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Examples in Context

Examples of “foul”

…after getting hit by a foul tip by outfielder Rajai Davis;…
…"the Killer" was in a foul mood when he showed up…
…the ball was fair or foul, over the fence or not,…
…Okafor picked up his fourth foul at the 9:18 mark, sending…
…loss to Kansas, but suffered foul trouble that limited his effectiveness.
…a driver will commit a foul (other than red light starts,…
…and down the right field foul line.
…morals (sexual impropriety, blasphemy, and foul language).
The ball struck the foul pole, giving the Red Sox…
…on the bench due to foul trouble.

Examples of “fowl”

…small service of fish or fowl, may be eaten in order…
"Djilawurr (Orange-Footed Scrub Fowl)" - 4:14
In Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, Atlantis is a Lower…
…American Poultry Association for large fowl: black, black breasted red, silver…
…is a profusion of water fowl and, in season, other migratory…
…domesticated dogs, pigs, sheep, goats, fowl, and other animals in Europe,…
…used are chicken or small fowl, such as Houbara bustards, and
…between a serpent and a fowl."
Their closest living relatives are fowl.
…Bush campaign also engaged in fowl play, releasing live ducks at…

(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)

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