forbid
for·bid/fɚˈbɪd/verb
forbid is spelled F-O-R-B-I-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables (for·bid). It appears 4.6 times per million words in written English, the 11,870th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, forbid means “To disallow; to proscribe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in forbid?
| Letters | 6: F-O-R-B-I-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: for·bid |
| In writing | 4.6 times per million words; the 11,870th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is forbid?
Forbid appears 4.6 times per million words in written English, the 11,870th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce forbid?
- UK /fəˈbɪd/
- UK [fəˈbɪd]
- US /fɚˈbɪd/
Forbid has 2 syllables, split for·bid in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-forbid.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with forbid?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as forbid from its last stressed vowel (/ɪd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of forbid
- forbids present, singular, he/she/it
- forbidding participle, present
- forbade past
- forbad past
- forbidden participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does forbid mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To disallow; to proscribe.
Smoking in the restaurant is forbidden.
- 2
To deny, exclude from, or warn off, by express command.
- 3
To oppose, hinder, or prevent, as if by an effectual command.
An impassable river forbids the approach of the army.
- 4
obsoleteTo accurse; to blast.
- 5
obsoleteTo defy; to challenge.
What part of "no" do you forbid to understand?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forbid in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to disallow:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | interdire, nier, dénier |
| German | verbieten, untersagen, verweigern, vorenthalten, ablehnen |
| Portuguese | proibir, negar |
| Spanish | prohibir, vedar, vetar, negar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does forbid come from?
From Middle English forbeden, from Old English forbēodan (“to forbid, prohibit, restrain, refuse, repeal, annul”), from Proto-Germanic *furibeudaną, from *furi + *beudaną. Equivalent to for- (“from, away”) + bid (“to offer, proclaim”). Cognate with Dutch verbieden (“to forbid”), German verbieten (“to forbid”), Danish forbyde (“to forbid”), Norwegian Bokmål forby (“to forbid”), Swedish förbjuda (“to forbid”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌱𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰𐌽 (faurbiudan). Related to forbode.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).