foreboding
/fɔɹˈbɔʊdɪŋ/noun, adjective, verb
foreboding is spelled F-O-R-E-B-O-D-I-N-G: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, foreboding means “A sense of evil to come” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of foreboding is forebodings.
How many letters and syllables are in foreboding?
| Letters | 10: F-O-R-E-B-O-D-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th 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 foreboding?
Foreboding appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th 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 foreboding?
- US /fɔɹˈbɔʊdɪŋ/
Foreboding 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)-Wodencafe-foreboding.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of foreboding
- forebodings plural
- forboding
- more foreboding comparative
- most foreboding superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does foreboding mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sense of evil to come.
- 2
An evil omen.
adjective
- 1
Of ominous significance; serving as an ill omen; foretelling of harm or difficulty.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of forebode
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Foreboding in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mauvais pressentiment, mauvais présage |
| German | Ahnung, Vorahnung , bange Ahnung |
| Portuguese | mau pressentimento , mau agouro |
| Spanish | mal presentimiento |
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 foreboding come from?
From Middle English forbodyng, vorboding, equivalent to fore- + bode + -ing. Compare German Vorbote (“harbinger, omen”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).