forte
/ˈfɔːteɪ/noun, adverb, adjective
forte is spelled F-O-R-T-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “fort vs forte” about 70 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, forte means “A strength or talent; a strong point” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of forte is fortes.
How many letters and syllables are in forte?
| Letters | 5: F-O-R-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); 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).
How common is forte?
Forte appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th 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 forte?
- UK /ˈfɔːteɪ/
- UK /fɔːˈteɪ/
- UK /ˈfɔːti/
As an adverb (“Loudly, as a dynamic in a piece of music”): /ˈfɔːteɪ/, /ˈfoɹteɪ/, /ˈfoːɹteɪ/.
Forte 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-forte1.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-forte2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-forte3.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with forte
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of forte
- fortes plural
- more forte comparative
- most forte superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does forte mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A strength or talent; a strong point.
He writes respectably, but poetry is not his forte.
- 2
The strong part of a sword blade, close to the hilt.
- 3
A passage in music to be played loudly; a loud section of music.
This forte marks the climax of the second movement.
adverb
- 1
Loudly, as a dynamic in a piece of music.
(abbreviation) f
adjective
- 1
Loud.
This passage is forte, then there's a diminuendo to mezzo piano.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forte in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | starke Seite, Stärke , forte |
| Portuguese | forte |
| Spanish | fuerte, punto fuerte |
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 forte come from?
Borrowed 1640–50; earlier fort < Middle French; disyllabic pronunciation by association with Italian forte, from Latin fortis (“strong”). Doublet of fort and fortis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).