forcible
adjective
forcible is spelled F-O-R-C-I-B-L-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, forcible means “Done by force, forced” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in forcible?
| Letters | 8: F-O-R-C-I-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,176th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is forcible?
Forcible appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th 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 forcible?
- US
Forcible has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-forcible.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of forcible
- more forcible comparative
- most forcible superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does forcible mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Done by force, forced.
- 2
obsoleterareHaving (physical) force, forceful.
- 3
Having a powerful effect; forceful, telling, strong, convincing, effective.
- 4
Able to be forced.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forcible in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | forcé, forçable , puissant , violent , impressionnant |
| Spanish | forzable , poderoso, potente , forzado, forzoso |
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 forcible come from?
From Middle English forcible, forsable, from Old French forcible, from forcier (“to conquer by force”), equivalent to force + -ible.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).