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PlainSpell

abstain

/əbˈsteɪn/verb

abstain is spelled A-B-S-T-A-I-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, abstain means “Refrain from (something or doing something); keep from doing, especially an indulgence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in abstain?

Letters7: A-B-S-T-A-I-N
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.2 times per million words; the 26,420th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is abstain?

Abstain appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 26,420th 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 abstain?

  • UK /əbˈsteɪn/
  • US /əbˈsteɪn/
  • US /æbˈsteɪn/

Abstain has 2 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-abstain.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with abstain?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as abstain from its last stressed vowel (/eɪn/):

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 abstain

  • abstains present, singular, he/she/it
  • abstaining participle, present
  • abstained participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does abstain mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    obsoleteKeep or withhold oneself.

  2. 2

    Refrain from (something or doing something); keep from doing, especially an indulgence.

    In order to improve his health, Rob decided to abstain from smoking.

  3. 3

    To refrain from drinking alcohol.

  4. 4

    obsoleteFast (not eat for a period).

  5. 5

    Deliberately refrain from casting one's vote at a meeting where one is present.

    I abstain from this vote, as I have no particular preference.

  6. 6

    obsoleteHinder; keep back; withhold.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Abstain in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchs'abstenir (refrain from – see also refrain)
Germanverzichten (refrain from – see also refrain), sich enthalten (refrain from voting), abhalten (hinder, withhold)
Portugueseabster-se, privar-se (refrain from – see also refrain), impedir (hinder, withhold)
Spanishabstenerse (refrain from – see also refrain), abstener (hinder, withhold)

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 abstain come from?

First attested around 1380. From Middle English absteynen, absteinen, abstenen, from Old French astenir, abstenir, from Latin abstineō (“to hold oneself back”) from abs- (“from”) + teneō (“to hold”). See also tenable.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after abstain