fawr-TOHLD
/fɔˈɹtoʊld/
foretold is pronounced fawr-TOHLD (/fɔˈɹtoʊld/). Foretold is the past participle of foretell: to predict or prophesy something that will happen in the future. It denotes an outcome anticipated before it occurs and is often embedded in storytelling or prophecy. The word carries a formal or literary tone and implies certainty or inevitability about the prediction.
Foretold is the past participle of foretell: to predict or prophesy something that will happen in the future. It denotes an outcome anticipated before it occurs and is often embedded in storytelling or prophecy. The word carries a formal or literary tone and implies certainty or inevitability about the prediction.
Tip: Drill with mirrors or a recording app to monitor where your tongue lands for /ɔːr/ and /əʊld/, and practice combining the two syllables so the transition feels natural and quick.
"- The oracle foretold that a great famine would strike the land."
"- Wise elders foretold the coming of a new era long before it began."
"- The historian’s account foretold events that later shaped policy."
Pronounce as /fɔːrˈtəʊld/ (US: fawr-TOHLD). The first syllable is a stressed /ˈfɔːr/ with an open o as in 'for,' followed by a lightly stressed /təʊld/ where the vowel combination forms a long 'o' sound. Lips are rounded for the /oʊ/ diphthong, jaw slightly dropped, and the final 'ld' blends quickly. It’s a two-syllable word with secondary stress on the second syllable in careful speech.
Common errors: (1) Misplacing stress by weakening the second syllable, yielding /ˈfɔːrtəld/; (2) Flattening the /ɔː/ to a short /ɒ/ as in 'for,' giving /fɒrˈtoʊld/; (3) Not fully pronouncing the /ld/ cluster, leading to a dull ending. Correct by emphasizing the /təʊld/ part, ensuring the /oʊ/ is a clear diphthong, and finishing with a crisp /ld/ blend. Practicing with the full two-beat rhythm helps avoid truncation.
US: fɔːrˈtoʊld with rhotic /r/ in the first syllable and a clear /oʊld/. UK: ˈfɔːˌtəʊld, the second syllable carries more prominence and the /r/ is non-rhotic, so /fɔːˈtəʊld/ without a pronounced /r/. Australian: fɔːˈtəʊld, similar to UK but with broader diphthongs and a flatter /ː/; the /r/ is not pronounced. In all, the key differences are rhoticity and vowel quality in the second syllable.
The difficulty lies in the two-part vowel sequence and the final /ld/ cluster, which requires precise timing: the /təʊ/ diphthong can slide into /ld/ without a strong stop, and many speakers reduce the second syllable. Additionally, merging the /t/ and /l/ into a smooth /tld/ can be tricky. Focus on a brisk transition from /tə/ to /oʊld/ and keep the tongue close enough to release the /d/ with the /l/.
Tip: Treat it as a brisk, two-beat word with a strong final cluster. Practice as fɔːr-ˈtəʊld, ensuring the vowel in the second syllable is a clear /oʊ/ and the /ld/ is released crisply. Keep your tongue blade near the alveolar ridge so the /d/ doesn’t slur into a vowel. Hearing a native speaker say it in context helps solidify the cadence.
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US: rhotic /r/ in the first syllable, stronger /ɔːr/ quality; UK: non-rhotic, shorter /ɔː/ and a crisper /təʊld/; AU: similar to UK but with slightly broader vowels and less pronounced /r/. Vowel shifts: /ɔː/ can be tenser in US, more centralized in AU; /oʊ/ may be more centralized in UK due to non-rhotic tendencies. IPA references: US /fɔːrˈtoʊld/, UK /ˈfɔːtəʊld/, AU /fɔːˈtəʊld/. Practical adjustments: emphasize the /r/ in US, reduce it in UK/AU, shape lips for the /oʊ/ diphthong, and keep the final /ld/ crisp.
Foretold comes from the combination of the prefix fore- meaning 'before' and the verb tell, with its past participle ending -told. The prefix fore- has Germanic roots, appearing in Old English as for-, fore- with the sense of before or in front. The verb tell derives from Old English tellan, meaning to count or relate, with Germanic cousins in other languages contributing to its sense of narrating or informing. The participial suffix -told developed in Middle English to form perfect tenses and passive-like constructions such as foretold. The semantic shift centers on knowledge about the future, predicting events before they occur. The earliest attestations appear in religious and prophetic contexts in medieval literature, often linked to oracular speech. Over time, foretold became a fixed phrase in both biblical and secular narratives to express a definitive prophecy that has come to pass. In modern usage, foretold is predominantly literary or formal, used in contexts requiring a sense of inevitability or destiny. The word’s stability in the past participle form contrasts with tell’s modern verbal conjugations, reinforcing its stately, sometimes archaic flavor. The evolution from foretell to foretold shows a narrowing of the time dimension—moving from the act of predicting to a completed, known outcome—while keeping the original sense of prior knowledge about the future.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "foretold" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "foretold"
-old sounds
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