Apple uses an "iCloud account" on its support site, but the iCloud account is only a subset of the Apple ID account. You may hear the terms iCloud and Apple ID interchangeable, but there's nothing wrong with mentioning either. What happens when you forget your Apple ID password, lets see the iCloud Account Recovery Process

To obtain an Apple Account password, the user must visit the recovery page.
The user must now provide their email address and full name and click Continue.
In addition, the user must enter an Apple ID and click Continue.
The user must then select recovery using the security question option.
After that, the user must answer the security questions related to their Apple account and continue.
Once the account is verified, the user can easily create a new password for their Apple account.
After creating a new password, the user must save the changes and verify that the issue is resolved.
Also, if users can't get their Apple ID password, they can choose alternatives or contact support to easily reset their Apple password.