forsake
for·sake/fɔɹˈseɪk/verb
forsake is spelled F-O-R-S-A-K-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (for·sake). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, forsake means “To abandon, to give up, to leave (permanently), to renounce (someone or something)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in forsake?
| Letters | 7: F-O-R-S-A-K-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: for·sake |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd 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 forsake?
Forsake appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd 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 forsake?
- UK /fɔːˈseɪk/
- UK /fə-/
- US /fɔɹˈseɪk/
Forsake has 2 syllables, split for·sake in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-forsake.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with forsake?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as forsake from its last stressed vowel (/eɪk/):
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 forsake
- forsakes present, singular, he/she/it
- forsaking participle, present
- forsook past, singular, he/she/it, plural
- forsaken participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does forsake mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To abandon, to give up, to leave (permanently), to renounce (someone or something).
- 2
obsoleteTo decline or refuse (something offered).
- 3
obsoleteTo avoid or shun (someone or something).
- 4
obsoleteTo cause disappointment to; to be insufficient for (someone or something).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forsake in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to abandon, to give up, to leave (permanently), to renounce (someone or somethin:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | abandonner, renoncer |
| German | aufgeben, im Stich lassen, verlassen |
| Portuguese | abandonar |
| Spanish | abandonar, naufragar, jaquir, desamparar |
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 forsake come from?
From Middle English forsaken (“to abandon, desert, repudiate, withdraw allegiance from”), from Old English forsacan (“to oppose; to give up, renounce; to decline, refuse”), from Proto-West Germanic *frasakan (“to forsake, renounce”). By surface analysis, for- + sake.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).