# How do \*you\* pronounce "forte"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 20, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765 "2022-05-20T14:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/21 "2022-05-20T16:24:59Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I’ve long advocated for IPA being taught in elementary schools. I drank IPA in my college bar at university, does that count? ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/22 "2022-05-20T16:26:06Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > > > I’ve long advocated for IPA being taught in elementary schools. > > I drank IPA in my college bar at university, does that count?  I do not advocate for IPA being consumed in elementary schools. That’s what fishing trips with grandpa are for. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/23 "2022-05-20T16:27:51Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > I drank IPA in my college bar at university, does that count? Not my choice of alcohol, but apparently the intoxicant does make it easier to understand other languages and unusual accents. Works best if all involved imbibe, and if the effect wears off after a while it can be refreshed. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/24 "2022-05-20T16:27:52Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > On the off chance that’s not sarcasm, I’ve long advocated for IPA being taught in elementary schools. I would, in abstract, consider this a good idea. Except that most people don’t remember anything that they were taught in school anyway. In my daily dealings, it seems to me that a huge percentage of the population is functionally illiterate. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/25 "2022-05-20T16:59:29Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > I’ve never had to say the word in public I’m a little surprised at the number of people who haven’t said the word in public. “(That’s) not my forte” is not an uncommon phrase, at least to me. (Or “that’s his/her forte.”) ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/26 "2022-05-20T18:12:57Z")
Well, that’s interesting. Everyone pronounces “cache” as “cash”. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/27 "2022-05-20T18:13:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I know it’s _fort_ , but I say _for-tay_ because nobody would understand me otherwise. Yeah. I keep that little tidbit of knowledge in my back pocket in case I’m feeling too well-liked at a party. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/28 "2022-05-20T18:15:22Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > I keep that little tidbit of knowledge in my back pocket in case I’m feeling too well-liked at a party. A par-tay? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/29 "2022-05-20T18:15:29Z")
a) I don’t use the word often, because, as others have said, it just perplexes people b) It _ought_ to be pronounced “for-tay” and not “fort” because it shouldn’t really be regarded as a different word from the musical term. Your forte is the place where you are “loud”. Your strong point. Same freaking notion underlying, why treat it as a separate concept? c) If pronounced “fort”, the majority of people will assume I’m talking about my fortress or my tree fort. Those who know the word at all assume it is pronounced “for-tay” so they won’t recognize the word if I say “fort”, and will instead assume I’m pronouncing the OTHER word that they are quite familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/30 "2022-05-20T18:15:38Z")
I’m into nish and cash for niche and cache. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/31 "2022-05-20T18:16:53Z")
Same as @GreysonCarlisle. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/32 "2022-05-20T18:17:15Z")
> [@solost](#): > > How about “niche”? I think “neesh” is more correct but sounds too pretentious, so I say “nitch”. I think there’s a transatlantic difference with this one. I have never heard the latter pronunciation in the U.K., but it seems common (predominant?) in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/33 "2022-05-20T18:17:42Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > It _ought_ to be pronounced “for-tay” and not “fort” because it shouldn’t really be regarded as a different word from the musical term. Your forte is the place where you are “loud”. Your strong point. Same freaking notion underlying, why treat it as a separate concept? Because they arrived in the English language from different places. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/34 "2022-05-20T18:18:13Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > b) It _ought_ to be pronounced “for-tay” and not “fort” because it shouldn’t really be regarded as a different word from the musical term. Your forte is the place where you are “loud”. Your strong point. Same freaking notion underlying, why treat it as a separate concept? _forte_ meaning “loud” is from Italian _forte_ meaning “loud.” _forte_ meaning “strength” is from French _fort_ meaning “strong.” ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/35 "2022-05-20T18:19:44Z")
I’ve always only said or heard “for-tay.” That seems to be pretty common in this thread. If we’ve all agreed to say it that way, why is “fort” considered correct? I don’t really consider the word it was derived from as particularly relevant. Language evolves. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/36 "2022-05-20T18:20:25Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Because they arrived in the English language from different places. Convergence. They arrived here spelled the same way with the same fundamental sense. I don’t care where they came from, they’re ours now and they can damn well room together. Language doesn’t need silly nonsensical things like “It’s ‘capital’ if it’s a state but ‘capitol’ if you’re talking about the nation”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/37 "2022-05-20T18:21:36Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Language doesn’t need silly nonsensical things like “It’s ‘capital’ if it’s a state but ‘capitol’ if you’re talking about the nation”. Did you mean this literally? Or are you just being sarcastic? Because that’s not what the difference is between _capital_ and _capitol_. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/38 "2022-05-20T18:21:51Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > _forte_ meaning “loud” is from Italian _forte_ meaning “loud.” > > _forte_ meaning “strength” is from French _fort_ meaning “strong.” And either they both stem from some Latin root that means “loud, strong, bold, emphatic”, or they jolly well should have. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/39 "2022-05-20T18:22:45Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > > > Because they arrived in the English language from different places. > > Convergence. They arrived here spelled the same way with the same fundamental sense. Nope, the final e on the one we took from French wasn’t added until the late 1700s. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2022, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765/40 "2022-05-20T18:31:13Z")
> [@solost](#): > > How about “niche”? I think “neesh” is more correct but sounds too pretentious, so I say “nitch”. Again according to Oxford languages, both are correct. I come across both here in the US. I say “neesh” myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-pronounce-forte/964765.md?page=3)