absorbing
/æbˈzɔɹ.bɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
absorbing is spelled A-B-S-O-R-B-I-N-G: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, absorbing means “Engrossing, that sustains someone's interest” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in absorbing?
| Letters | 9: A-B-S-O-R-B-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th 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 absorbing?
Absorbing appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th 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 absorbing?
- UK /əbˈzɔː.bɪŋ/
- UK /əbˈsɔː.bɪŋ/
- US /æbˈzɔɹ.bɪŋ/
Absorbing 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-absorbing.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of absorbing
- more absorbing comparative
- most absorbing superlative
- absorbings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does absorbing mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Engrossing, that sustains someone's interest.
an absorbing pursuit
- 2
Allowing a process to enter it, but not to leave it.
noun
- 1
Absorption.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of absorb
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Absorbing in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense engrossing:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | fesselnd |
| Portuguese | absorvente |
| 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 absorbing come from?
From absorb + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).