forbidding
for·bid·ding/fɚˈbɪdɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
forbidding is spelled F-O-R-B-I-D-D-I-N-G: 10 letters and 3 syllables (for·bid·ding). It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, forbidding means “Appearing to be threatening, unfriendly or potentially unpleasant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in forbidding?
| Letters | 10: F-O-R-B-I-D-D-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: for·bid·ding |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th 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 forbidding?
Forbidding appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th 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 forbidding?
- US /fɚˈbɪdɪŋ/
- UK /fəˈbɪdɪŋ/
Forbidding has 3 syllables, split for·bid·ding in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Persent101-forbidding.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with forbidding?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as forbidding from its last stressed vowel (/ɪdɪŋ/):
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 forbidding
- more forbidding comparative
- most forbidding superlative
- forbiddings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does forbidding mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Appearing to be threatening, unfriendly or potentially unpleasant.
noun
- 1
The act by which something is forbidden; a prohibition.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of forbid
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forbidding in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense highly unpleasant or disagreeable:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | unwirtlich, abweisend, zurückweisend, äußerst unfreundlich, abstoßend, widerwärtig |
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 forbidding come from?
By surface analysis, forbid + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).