abroad
a·broad/əˈbɹɔːd/adverb, noun, preposition, adjective
abroad is spelled A-B-R-O-A-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables (a·broad). It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, abroad means “Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in abroad?
| Letters | 6: A-B-R-O-A-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: a·broad |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,683rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is abroad?
Abroad appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce abroad?
- UK /əˈbɹɔːd/
- British /əˈbɹoːd/
- /əˈbɹɔd/
Abroad has 2 syllables, split a·broad in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-abroad.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with abroad?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as abroad from its last stressed vowel (/ɔd/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: aboard.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of abroad
- abread
- abreed
- abrede
- abraid
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does abroad mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Beyond the bounds of a country; in foreign countries.
- 2
datedAt large; widely; broadly; over a wide space.
A tree spreads its branches abroad.
- 3
datedWithout a certain confine; outside the house; away from one's abode.
- 4
datedBefore the public at large; throughout society or the world; here and there; moving without restriction.
- 5
Not on target; astray; in error; confused; dazed.
- 6
Played elsewhere than one's home grounds.
preposition
- 1
Throughout, over.
adjective
- 1
nonstandardInternational.
noun
- 1
ScotlandrareCountries or lands abroad.
I hate abroad, abroad’s bloody.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Abroad in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | à l'étranger , de tous côtés, dans toutes les directions , dehors , à l'extérieur , l'étranger |
| German | im Ausland, ins Ausland , Ausland |
| Portuguese | no exterior, no estrangeiro, ao exterior, ao estrangeiro, no ultramar, no além-mar |
| Spanish | en el extranjero, en el exterior, en extranjis, al extranjero, a extranjis , por todas partes |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does abroad come from?
First attested in mid 13th century. From Middle English abrood (“broadly widely scattered”), from a- (“on, in”) + brood (“broad”). Equivalent to a- + broad.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).