forbear

/fɔːˈbɛə/

//fɔːˈbɛə// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"forbear" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“forbear” is an uncommon English word, ranked #93,710 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#93,710
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To keep away from; to avoid; to abstain from.

Key facts for forbear
PropertyValue
Headwordforbear
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/fɔːˈbɛə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#93,710
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “forbear” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). forbear lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for forbear is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /fɔːˈbɛə/. Corpus data places it at rank #93,710 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for forbear, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English forberen, from Old English forberan (“to forbear, abstain from, refrain; suffer, endure, tolerate, humor; restrain; do without”), from Proto-Germanic *fraberaną (“to hold back, endure”); equivalent to for- + bear. Cognate with Old Frisia… The correct English form is forbear, spelled F-O-R-B-E-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To keep away from; to avoid; to abstain from.
  2. 2
    To refrain from proceeding; to pause; to delay.
  3. 3
    To refuse; to decline; to withsay; to unheed.
  4. 4
    To control oneself when provoked.

Etymology

From Middle English forberen, from Old English forberan (“to forbear, abstain from, refrain; suffer, endure, tolerate, humor; restrain; do without”), from Proto-Germanic *fraberaną (“to hold back, endure”); equivalent to for- + bear. Cognate with Old Frisian forbera (“to forfeit”), Middle High German verbërn (“to have not; abstain; refrain from; avoid”) (Cimbrian forbèeran), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌽 (frabairan, “to endure”).

This word in other languages

abstenerse(Español)éviter(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "forbear"?
"forbear" is spelled F-O-R-B-E-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /fɔːˈbɛə/.
What does "forbear" mean?
As a verb, "forbear" means: To keep away from; to avoid; to abstain from.
How do you pronounce "forbear"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forbear" is /fɔːˈbɛə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "forbear"?
From Middle English forberen, from Old English forberan (“to forbear, abstain from, refrain; suffer, endure, tolerate, humor; restrain; do without”), from Proto-Germanic *fraberaną (“to hold back, endure”); equivalent to for- + bear. Cognate with ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “forbear”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-B-E-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fɔːˈbɛə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list