forgo
/fɔɹˈɡoʊ/verb
forgo is spelled F-O-R-G-O: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “forego vs forgo” about 1,600 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, forgo means “To do without (something enjoyable); to relinquish” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in forgo?
| Letters | 5: F-O-R-G-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is forgo?
Forgo appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th 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 forgo?
- UK /fɔːˈɡəʊ/
- US /fɔɹˈɡoʊ/
Forgo has 2 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)-Vealhurl-forgo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with forgo
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: forego.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with forgo?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as forgo from its last stressed vowel (/oʊ/):
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 forgo
- forgoes present, singular, he/she/it
- forgoing participle, present
- forwent past
- forgone participle, past
- forego
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does forgo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To do without (something enjoyable); to relinquish.
I've had to forgo my student discount in exchange for taking the job.
- 2
To refrain from, to abstain from.
I shall forgo actually stepping inside, thank you.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forgo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | auslassen, unterlassen , verzichten, entsagen |
| Portuguese | privar-se de |
| Spanish | pasar por alto, dejar pasar , dejar de lado, renunciar a |
| French | se passer de, renoncer à |
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 forgo come from?
From Middle English forgon (“to go by, pass up”), from Old English forgān (“to go away, forgo”); equivalent to for- + go.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).