forte

¹ American  

[fawrt, fohrt, fawr-tey] / fɔrt, foʊrt, ˈfɔr teɪ /

noun

1. a person's strong suit, or most highly developed characteristic, talent, or skill; something that one excels in.

   I don't know what her forte is, but it's not music.

   Synonyms:

   bent, knack, proficiency, specialty, strong suit, strength, excellence, skill, talent

2. the stronger part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt (opposed to foible).

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forte ² American  

[fawr-tey, fawr-te] / ˈfɔr teɪ, ˈfɔr tɛ /

adjective

1. (a direction in a musical score or part) loud; with force (opposed to piano).

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adverb

1. (a direction in a musical score or part) loudly.

noun

1. a passage that is loud and played with force or is marked to be so. f

forte ¹ British  

/ ˈfɔːteɪ, fɔːt /

noun

1. something at which a person excels; strong point

   cooking is my forte

2. fencing the stronger section of a sword blade, between the hilt and the middle Compare foible

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forte ² British  

/ ˈfɔːtɪ /

adjective

1.  f.  loud or loudly

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noun

1. a loud passage in music

forte Cultural  

1. A musical direction meaning “to be performed loudly”; the opposite of piano.

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Pronunciation

In the sense of a person's strong suit ( He draws well, but sculpture is his real forte ), the older and historical pronunciation of forte is the one-syllable or , pronounced as the English word fort. The word is derived from the French word fort, meaning “strong.” A two-syllable pronunciation is increasingly heard, especially from younger educated speakers, perhaps owing to confusion with the musical term forte, pronounced in English as and in Italian as . Both the one- and two-syllable pronunciations of forte are now considered standard.

Pop Culture

—FORTE: An acronym for Fast On-orbit Rapid Recording of Transient Events, FORTE is a lightweight satellite orbiting earth since August 1997. It is the first satellite made of an all-composite structure, and was designed to test new technologies for monitoring compliance with arms control treaties. —Forte: A character in the 1997 animated film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. The actor Tim Curry provided the voice for Forte, who is a pipe organ. —Kia Forte: A compact car manufactured by Kia Motors since 2008 and marketed worldwide.

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The common keyboard instrument the pianoforte (“piano” for short) got its name because it could play both soft and loud notes.

Etymology

Origin of forte¹

First recorded in 1640–50; earlier fort, from Middle French noun use of adjective fort “strong, powerful”; see origin at fort; disyllabic pronunciation by association with forte ²

Origin of forte²

1715–25; < Italian < Latin fortis strong

Explanation

Forte means an area in which you are strong or good. Having two left feet and no sense of rhythm, dancing would not be considered your forte. Better to impress people with card tricks, if that's your area of expertise, or your forte. Your forte is what you would focus on if you decided to enter a talent show. The word forte actually comes from the similar-sounding Latin word fortis, which means "strong." Romans (and countless groups since) called the big, barricaded structures they built "forts" because they were supposed to stay strong and keep out the hordes of invading barbarians. In music, playing forte means playing loud.

Example Sentences

Speed isn’t turtles’ forte and it’s not what keeps them safe; it’s their tough exterior.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026

Beating Fritz propelled Musetti, 23, into the last eight at Melbourne for the first time, with clay and grass his usual forte.

From Barron's • Jan. 26, 2026

Speed and convenience are the coffeehouse’s forte, which is underscored by its “grab-and-go” model and lack of indoor seating.

From Salon • Jul. 27, 2025

"It became apparent very quickly that his forte was on the training ground. The training ground is his domain."

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2024

Mr. Covey’s forte consisted in his power to deceive.

From "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass