2 syllables: for, bid. Stress on bid.
fur-BID
/fɚˈbɪd/
forbid is pronounced fur-BID (/fɚˈbɪd/). It has two syllables (for-bid), with the stress on "bid". Forbid means to command someone not to do something or to make it impossible for something to occur. It can describe prohibiting actions or restricting access, often implying formal or authoritative decree. The term emphasizes a rule or authority that prevents an action, rather than merely disallowing it in a casual sense.
Forbid means to command someone not to do something or to make it impossible for something to occur. It can describe prohibiting actions or restricting access, often implying formal or authoritative decree. The term emphasizes a rule or authority that prevents an action, rather than merely disallowing it in a casual sense.
"The city council forbids parking on that street after 8 p.m."
"Her parents forbade her from staying out late on weekends."
"The new policy forbids sharing confidential information with outsiders."
Pronounce as /fɔːrˈbɪd/ in US and UK. The first syllable has a long ‘aw’ quality, followed by a strong stress on the second syllable: /ˈbɪd/ with a short, clipped final /d/. In careful speech you may hear /ˈforˌbɪd/ or /fɔːˈbɪd/ depending on rhythm. Mouth posture: start with rounded lips and mid-back tongue, then shift to a dental-alveolar stop for /d/. Try isolating the final consonant as a clean stop. Audio references: consult standard pronunciation dictionaries or native speaker samples to hear the /ɔː/ length and the emphasis on the second syllable.
Two common errors are misplacing stress and mispronouncing the vowel in the first syllable. Some speakers reduce the /ɔː/ to a short /ɔ/ or /ɑ/ and place forced emphasis on the first syllable, saying /ˈforˌbɪd/ rather than /fɔːrˈbɪd/. Another mistake is merging the /rb/ cluster into a lighter /rb/ or eliding the /r/ in non-rhotic accents, producing /fɔːˈbɪd/ without the rhotic coloring. Correction: keep a clear long /ɔː/ in the first syllable, maintain the strong syllable 2 with /ˈbɪd/, and ensure the final /d/ is fully released. Practice with minimal pairs to distinguish vowel length and rhoticity if applicable to your accent.
In US and UK, the initial vowel is a long /ɔː/ with rhotic /r/ influence in rhotic accents. US speakers often produce a clear rhotic /r/ in /fɔːr/ while UK non-rhotic speakers may have a weaker or non-pronounced /r/ after the vowel. Australian varieties tend to have a broader /ɔː/ and clearer, more open mouth position, with a strong /d/ at the end. The second syllable /bɪd/ remains relatively stable, but vowel quality and the linking /r/ or /ə/ can shift slightly with accent. Keep the primary vowel long and crisp and deliver the stress on the second syllable for clarity across accents.
The difficulty often lies in the combination of a long, rounded /ɔː/ vowel followed by the /r/ and the abrupt /b/ onset of the second syllable. Non-native speakers may mispronounce as /ˈfɔːrɪd/ or /ˈfɔɪd/ if the /b/ is assimilated or the /r/ is skipped. The switch from the first long vowel to a short /ɪ/ can cause unstressed vowel reduction. Additionally, the transition from /r/ to /b/ creates a consonant cluster that needs clean articulation. Practice by isolating the two syllables, then blending with steady muscle control for an even tempo.
The word uniquely presents a form where the base verb forbids a direct complement action, yet past forms align with strong irregularity in morphological shifts: present forbid, past forbade, past participle forbidden. The pronunciation remains stable, but internal vowel quality and the rhotic or non-rhotic realization can affect perceived stress. In careful speech, you’ll hear the two-syllable rhythm clearly, with the secondary stress guiding the rise in pitch into /bɪd/. This question also invites attention to how the word interacts with modal or auxiliary verbs in sentences like ‘you are forbidden from entering.’
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Forbid comes from the combination of the Old English verb forþriban, meaning 'to cause to break through' or 'to prevent by punishment' (related to forbore and to refrain). Its modern form emerged through Middle English and Germanic siblings that convey prohibition. The root forþ- implies forward motion, with -bidan evolving to assess prohibition. The semantic drift moved from ‘to command not to do something’ toward a stronger sense of legal or formal prohibition. The word in English has paralleled other prohibitive forms like forbid, prohibit, and forbade in past tenses, tracing to the same Proto-Germanic lineage as the verb keep, bind, and ward. First known use in Golden Age English writings appears in medieval treaties and religious texts, where rulers issued decrees forbidding certain practices. Over centuries, usage broadened from divine or monarchial edicts to everyday formal restrictions, while preserving its sense of prohibition rather than mere discouragement. Today, forbid carries a formal, authoritative tone, often found in statutes, policies, and official communications, and can appear in both transitive and intransitive forms in past contexts (forbade) and present forms (forbid).
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "forbid" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "forbid"
-ord sounds
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