Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fork

/fɔɹk/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.03 in modern English

Syllables
fork
IPA
/fɔɹk/
11
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of several types of pronged (tined) tools (physical tools), as follows:

noun

Any of several types of pronged (tined) tools (physical tools), as follows:

noun

Any of several types of pronged (tined) tools (physical tools), as follows:

noun

Any of several types of pronged (tined) tools (physical tools), as follows:

noun

A fork in the road, as follows:

noun

A fork in the road, as follows:

noun

A point where a waterway, such as a river or other stream, splits and flows into two (or more) different directions.

noun

One of the parts into which anything is furcated or divided; a prong; a branch of a stream, a road, etc.; a barbed point, as of an arrow.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English forke (“digging fork”), from Old English force, forca (“forked instrument used to torture”), from Proto-West Germanic *furkō (“fork”), from Latin furca (“pitchfork, forked stake; gallows, beam, stake, support post, yoke”), of uncertain origin. The Middle English word was later reinforced by Anglo-Norman, Old Northern French forque (= Old French forche whence French fourche), also from the Latin. Doublet of fourche and furcate. Cognate also with North Frisian forck (“fork”), Dutch vork (“fork”), Danish fork (“fork”), German Forke (“pitchfork”). Displaced native gafol, ġeafel, ġeafle (“fork”), from Old English. In its primary sense of “fork”, Latin furca appears to be derived from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerk(ʷ)-, *ǵʰerg(ʷ)- (“fork”), although the development of the -c- is difficult to explain. In other senses this derivation is unlikely. For these, perhaps it is connected to Proto-Germanic *furkaz, *firkalaz (“stake, stick, pole, post”), from Proto-Indo-European *perg- (“pole, post”). If so, this would relate the word to Old English forclas pl (“bolt”), Old Saxon ferkal (“lock, bolt, bar”), Old Norse forkr (“pole, staff, stick”), Norwegian fork (“stick, bat”), Swedish fork (“pole”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /fɔɹk/
  • British English: /fɔːk/

Usage

Inflected Forms

forks (plural) forks (present, singular) forking (participle, present) forked (participle, past) forked (past) forcque (alternative)

Derived Forms

dungfork forkable forkball forkbeard forker forkful forkhead forkless forklike forkload forkmaker forktail

Phrases

Ash Fork barley fork bent fork bicycle fork bike fork bladed fork cake fork carving fork

Frequently Paired Words

denture trident a three-prong spear somewhat resembling a pitchfork spoon knife table knife butter knife steak knife

Synonyms

branch prong swell pommel branching ramification forking crotch

Antonyms

confluence single source of truth, SSOT

Rhymes With

york new-york pork cork torque o'rourke stork yorke rourke bork bjork roark

Questions

How do you pronounce fork?
The recorded pronunciation is /fɔɹk/.
What does fork mean?
Any of several types of pronged (tined) tools (physical tools), as follows:
Where does fork come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce fork

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “fork”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/fɔɹk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “fork”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “fork” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.