TKG English Learner's Dictionary

favorite

favoriteadjective

American /ˈfeɪ.vər.ɪt/ British /ˈfeɪ.vər.ɪt/ also /ˈfeɪv.rɪt/ two-syllable form, common in speech
British spelling: favourite
not gradable
common

  1. liked more than any other of the same kind

    attributive only [attrib] not gradable [not gradable]

    Collocations

    adjective + noun my favorite song, my favorite color, my favorite food, my favorite place, a favorite subject, a favorite book

Word family

Usage

Favorite already means best liked, so more favorite and most favorite are not standard. My most favorite is heard in informal speech but avoided in careful writing, where my favorite is enough; my absolute favorite and my all-time favorite are common ways to add emphasis instead. Standing on its own (Which is your favorite?), it is a noun with its own entry: favorite (noun). In British spelling the word is favourite, and so is the noun.

Common mistakes

my most favorite song my favorite song
Most favorite is heard in informal speech only; careful writing avoids it, because favorite already means liked best.

See also favorite (favorite standing on its own: which is your favorite?)

For translators

Meaning across languages Many languages say the one I like most with a superlative; English uses this ordinary adjective before the noun, almost always with a possessive: my favorite, her favorite.
Grammar trap Favorite comes before a noun (my favorite song); on its own it is the noun favorite (this is my favorite), a separate entry. It is not used with very; most favorite is heard in informal speech but avoided in careful writing.
Pronunciation trap Often said with two syllables, FAYV-rit; the full three-syllable form, FAY-vuh-rit, is also correct. The stress is on the first syllable either way.