Forgo vs. Forego – How to Use Each Correctly
What’s the Difference Between Forego and Forgo?
Contents
Forego and forgo might seem like alternate spellings of the same word. However, that is not the case. They are actually homophones without any overlap in meaning.
Forego is a verb that means to go before.
- The herald will forego the king as the royal party enters the town.
Forgo is also a verb. It means to refrain from, or in other words to choose to not do something.
- The bride and groom decided to forgo having a reception after their wedding ceremony.
The most common mistake that people make is using forego when they really want to use forgo. Let’s look at a few ways to use these words in your sentences.
Using Forego in a Sentence
When to use forego: Forego is a verb that means to precede. However, this word is no longer very common. It is much more common to simply say go before.
For example:
- The scary music must forego the appearance of the villain on screen.
- The local band will forego the main act on stage during the music festival.
- Of course he will lose the election! He lacks the necessary experience. That’s a foregone conclusion.
Forego is so rarely used to mean precede that the number of incorrect uses actually outnumbers the correct ones. The only remaining expression that commonly uses this word is foregone conclusion. This means deciding the answer to something ahead of time. It uses the past participle form of forego.
Using Forgo in a Sentence
When to use forgo: Forgo is a verb that means choosing to do without something.
For example:
- The army general knew that the enemy used guerilla tactics, so he decided to forgo using strategies more useful against standing armies.
- The Queen often shocked her subjects by forgoing customary traditions.
- The prince, who was the heir to the crown, forwent his right to the throne, in order to marry a commoner.
This word is actually quite old, and dates back to before the year 950. Other definitions include renounce, resign, and give up.
Remembering Forego vs. Forgo
The easiest way to remember the difference between these two words is to use the spelling of each.
Forego means to go before. The letters fore from the second syllable of before are the same as the first four letters of forego.
Forgo means to go without. You can remember that forgo forgoes using the letter e.
Outside Examples
- “It is a foregone conclusion that Kingwood High School will not be open for quite some time,” he said. “Our campus sustained extensive damage and must be closed until repairs can be made to welcome our Kingwood Mustangs back into their school.” –Houston Chronicle
- What had seemed to analysts to be a foregone conclusion now looks to be more complex. –New York Times
- The third-year sophomore passer is eligible to enter the 2018 NFL draft and forgo his final two seasons of eligibility. –OC Register
- Millions are expected to forgo coverage if Congress repeals the unpopular requirement that Americans get health insurance, boosting premiums for others. –Chicago Sun Times
Quiz: Forego vs. Forgo
Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either forego or forgo.
- I know you want to go to that gala, but you absolutely cannot ___________ your responsibilities.
- All the houses in the area will have to be abandoned in case of a wildfire. That is a _________________ conclusion.
- Despite knowing he was a vampire, she decided to ____________ bringing garlic and a cross.
- Santa’s reindeer _________________ his sled with all the presents.
- If you see one ant at a picnic, beware! One ant typically _____________ an army of ants, all of which will want to steal your food. You may want to __________ eating outside altogether.
See answers below.
Article Summary
Should I use forego or forgo? Generally speaking, use forgo unless you are using the expression foregone conclusion. Forgo is much more common than forego. If you truly want to use forego in the sense of go before, it is better to simply use precede for formal situations and go before in more casual ones.
- Forego means go before.
- Forgo means to do without.
Although these are homophones, it is important to spell them the right way because of their completely different definitions.
Answers from Quiz
- forgo
- foregone
- forgo
- forego
- foregoes, forgo