forte

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
ˈfȯr-ˌtā How to pronounce forte (audio)
 also  fȯr-ˈtā,
or
ˈfȯrt How to pronounce forte (audio)
 or  ˈfȯr-tē
: one's strong point
2
ˈfȯrt How to pronounce forte (audio) : the part of a sword or foil blade that is between the middle and the hilt and that is the strongest part of the blade
How do you pronounce forte?: Usage Guide

In forte we have a word derived from French that in its "strong point" sense has no entirely satisfactory pronunciation. Usage writers have denigrated \ˈfȯr-ˌtā\ and \ˈfȯr-tē\ because they reflect the influence of the Italian-derived forte entry 2. Their recommended pronunciation \ˈfȯrt\, however, does not exactly reflect French either: the French would write the word le fort and would pronounce it more similar to English for. So you can take your choice, knowing that someone somewhere will dislike whichever variant you choose. All are standard, however. In British English \ˈfȯ-ˌtā\ and \ˈfȯt\ predominate; \ˈfȯr-ˌtā\ and \fȯr-ˈtā\ are probably the most frequent pronunciations in American English.

forte

2 of 3

adverb or adjective

for·​te ˈfȯr-ˌtā How to pronounce forte (audio)
ˈfȯr-tē
: loud
used as a direction in music
violins played the passage forte

forte

3 of 3

noun (2)

for·​te ˈfȯr-ˌtā How to pronounce forte (audio)
ˈfȯr-tē
: a musical tone or passage played loudly

Did you know?

En garde! When English speakers borrowed the word forte from French in the 17th century, it referred to the strongest part of the blade of a fencing sword, the section between the middle and the hilt. (The word’s ultimate source is the French adjective fort, meaning “strong.”) Forte was perfectly suited for metaphorical use, and it quickly came to refer to the strong point of a person, in addition to the strong point of a blade. (The word has its counterpoint in foible, which comes from an obsolete form of the French word faible, “weak,” and refers both to the weakest part of a sword blade and to a person’s weak point.) There is some controversy over how to correctly pronounce forte. Common choices in American English are “FOR-tay” and “for-TAY,” but many usage commentators recommend matching it to fort, since the e is not pronounced in French. Whichever you choose has no bearing on its meaning, however, and therefore should run you no risk of someone (say, an avenging duelist) commenting: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Examples of forte in a Sentence

Noun (1) Emily's particular forte was desserts, and most dinner parties ended with three desserts. Anne Sinkler Whaley LeClercq, An Antebellum Plantation Household, 1996
Even during Picasso's youthful figurative stages, stark realism was never his forte Patricia Corbett, Connoisseur, July 1988
Though his forte was never the novel but the novella, he paid the rent by grinding out novel after novel … Hugh Kenner, A Sinking Island, (1987) 1988
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
My forte, my thing, is that people have to be smiling back at me in the camera. Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 Go through the process of elimination to find your forte. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 Head-turning footwear has been his forte for months too. Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 5 Mar. 2024 Look at the big picture and distance yourself from risk and ventures that aren’t your forte. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2024 Advocates argue that the visionary entrepreneur should relinquish day-to-day operations, allowing him to zero in on his forte—innovating new products. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 3 Feb. 2024 If caring for greenery isn't your forte, pick other design elements that provide a similar feeling. Laura Drummond, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Jan. 2024 While Hynes is very familiar with meet-cute moments on screen — he’s starred in 17 movies for Hallmark Media, one of which landed the top spot on our Best Hallmark Movies Ever list — sports aren’t exactly his forte. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 10 Jan. 2024 Emotional and physical connections are not his forte. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forte.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French fort, from fort, adjective, strong

Adverb or adjective and Noun (2)

Italian, from forte strong, from Latin fortis

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1648, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adverb Or Adjective

circa 1724, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1759, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of forte was circa 1648

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Dictionary Entries Near forte

Cite this Entry

“Forte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forte. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

forte

1 of 2 noun
: something in which a person shows special ability : a strong point
drawing was always your forte

forte

2 of 2 adverb or adjective
for·​te ˈfȯr-ˌtā How to pronounce forte (audio)
ˈfȯrt-ē
: loud sense 1
used as a direction in music
Etymology

Noun

from earlier fort "the thing a person does very well, strong point," from early French fort (same meaning), derived from Latin fortis "strong"

Adverb or adjective

from Italian forte "strongly, loudly," from forte (adjective) "strong, loud," from Latin fortis "strong"

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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