absorbent
/æbˈsɔɹ.bn̩t/adjective, noun
absorbent is spelled A-B-S-O-R-B-E-N-T: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, absorbent means “Having the ability or tendency to absorb; able to soak up liquid easily; absorptive” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in absorbent?
| Letters | 9: A-B-S-O-R-B-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is absorbent?
Absorbent appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th 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 absorbent?
- UK /əbˈsɔː.bn̩t/
- UK /əbˈzɔː.bn̩t/
- US /æbˈsɔɹ.bn̩t/
Absorbent has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-absorbent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of absorbent
- more absorbent comparative
- most absorbent superlative
- absorbents plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does absorbent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having the ability or tendency to absorb; able to soak up liquid easily; absorptive.
Those paper towels were amazingly absorbent. That was quite a spill.
noun
- 1
Anything which absorbs.
- 2
archaicThe vessels by which the processes of absorption are carried on, as the lymphatics in animals, the extremities of the roots in plants.
- 3
Any substance which absorbs and neutralizes acid fluid in the stomach and bowels, as magnesia, chalk, etc.; also a substance, e.g., iodine, which acts on the absorbent vessels so as to reduce enlarged and indurated parts.
- 4
A liquid used in the process of separating gases or volatile liquids, in oil refining.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Absorbent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | absorbant |
| German | saugfähig |
| Portuguese | absorvente , absorvedor , antiácido |
| Spanish | absorbente |
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 absorbent come from?
From Latin absorbēns, present active participle of absorbeō (“absorb”). By surface analysis, absorb + -ent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).