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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “forward”

“forward” is pronounced /ˈfɔɹwɚd/ (FAWR-wuhd) in American English and /fɔːwəd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “for”.
The sound

Say “forward” in 2 beats

Say it like this

forward

/ˈfɔɹwɚd/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /fɔːwəd/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. forfɔɹstress
  2. wardwɚd
IPA (American)
/ˈfɔɹwɚd/
IPA (British)
/fɔːwəd/
Respelling
FAWR-wuhd
Syllables
2 — FOR-ward
Stress
Stress the first syllable: FOR-ward. “for” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈfɔɹwɚd/

British

/fɔːwəd/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “forward” means

  1. noun

    the person who plays the position of forward in certain games, such as basketball, soccer, or hockey

  2. noun

    a position on a basketball, soccer, or hockey team

  3. verb

    send or ship onward from an intermediate post or station in transit

    “forward my mail”

Say it in a sentence

“Their best forward scored twice in the second half.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
ffɔawɹrwwɚschwadd

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“forward”, answered

How do you pronounce “forward”?

“forward” is pronounced /ˈfɔɹwɚd/ (FAWR-wuhd) in American English and /fɔːwəd/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “for”. Build it as FOR-ward, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “forward” have?

2: for · ward. The beat lands on the first, “for”.

Is “forward” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈfɔɹwɚd/ (FAWR-wuhd); British English says /fɔːwəd/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “forward” mean?

As a noun: the person who plays the position of forward in certain games, such as basketball, soccer, or hockey For example: “Their best forward scored twice in the second half.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “forward”?

Stress the first syllable: FOR-ward. “for” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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