FAWR-fit-id
/ˈfɔɹfɪtɪd/
forfeited is pronounced FAWR-fit-id (/ˈfɔɹfɪtɪd/). Forfeited means having lost or surrendered something—such as rights, privileges, or property—by breach of condition or by rule or law. It describes a situation where consequences of noncompliance result in loss, often as a remedy or punishment. The term carries formal/legal or procedural overtones but is also used in everyday contexts to indicate something was relinquished or taken away due to failure to meet obligations.
Forfeited means having lost or surrendered something—such as rights, privileges, or property—by breach of condition or by rule or law. It describes a situation where consequences of noncompliance result in loss, often as a remedy or punishment. The term carries formal/legal or procedural overtones but is also used in everyday contexts to indicate something was relinquished or taken away due to failure to meet obligations.
"The company forfeited its license after repeatedly violating safety regulations."
"If you miss the deadline, you forfeit your eligibility for the grant."
"The tenant forfeited the security deposit after causing extensive damage."
Pronounce as /ˈfɔːrˌfiːtɪd/ in US and UK; in American English you may hear /ˈfɔːrˌfiːtɪd/ with a lighter /r/ sound in rhotic accents. Start with the stressed first syllable /ˈfɔːr/ where the mouth opens to a mid back rounded vowel, then move to /fiː/ (long 'ee' vowel), and end with /tɪd/. Lip rounding is mild, tongue sits high in the front for /fiː/ and the /t/ is a clean light release before a final /ɪd/.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (saying /ˈfɔːrfiːˈtɪd/ or distributing stress across syllables), slurring the /t/ into a gulp or making a /d/ instead of /t/ at the end. Some speakers reduce the /ɪ/ in -ed to a quick /ɪ/ or /ə/ and produce /ˈfɔːrfɪt/ missing the final /ɪd/. Correction: keep primary stress on the first syllable, pronounce the middle /fiː/ clearly as a long EE, and release the final -ed as /d/ in careful speech: /ˈfɔːrˌfiːtɪd/.
US: /ˈfɔːrˌfiːtɪd/ with rhotic /r/. UK: /ˈfɔːˌfiːtɪd/ often non-rhotic; /ɔː/ vowels may be longer, and syllable timing is more precise. AU: /ˈfɔːˌfiːtɪd/ similar to UK but with broader vowel quality; some Australians may produce a slightly more centralized /ɜː/ in preconsonantal vowels. Across all, the primary stress remains on the first syllable; the -ed ending is /ɪd/ or /t/ depending on speed and accent.
The difficulty lies in the two-phoneme cluster /fɔːr/ followed by /fiː/ and the final /tɪd/ with clear release. The /r/ in rhotic varieties can affect preceding vowel length, and the diphthong in /fiː/ requires a prolonged high front vowel. Also, rapid speech may flatten the /tɪd/ into /tɪd/ or /d/; maintaining the crisp alveolar stop and the /ɪd/ ending is essential.
Forfeited is a multi-syllabic verb with a strong first-syllable stress and a precise final voicing. Practicing helps reinforce correct /ˈfɔːr/ onset, clear /fiː/ vowel, and a final /tɪd/ cluster. Its legal register can bias careful pronunciation, making it a good test case for stopping, aspiration, and syllable rhythm in connected speech.
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Forfeited comes from Middle English forfeiten, from Old French forfaiter (to forfeit), from for faire (to do in advance or to lose by breaking a condition), from Latin facere (to do). The concept evolved in legal contexts: a party loses a right, property, or penalty as a result of a breach or nonperformance. The noun form forfeiture appeared in English by the 15th century, with the verb forfeited becoming common in the 16th century as legal language permeated everyday use. Over time, the word broadened beyond strictly legal consequences to describe any loss due to failure to meet a condition, including contractual defaults, penalties for nonpayment, or waiving rights in sports and games. In contemporary usage, it also appears in idiomatic expressions like “forfeited to the state” or “forfeited rights,” maintaining its root sense of loss through noncompliance or breach.
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Words that rhyme with "forfeited"
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