adhere
/ædˈhɪɹ/verb
adhere is spelled A-D-H-E-R-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, adhere means “To stick fast or cleave, as a glutinous substance does; to become joined or united” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in adhere?
| Letters | 6: A-D-H-E-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.7 times per million words; the 13,496th 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 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 adhere?
Adhere appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th 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 adhere?
- UK /ædˈhɪə/
- US /ædˈhɪɹ/
- Australia /ædˈhɪə/
Adhere 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: En-us-adhere.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with adhere?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as adhere from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: header, hedera.
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 adhere
- adheres present, singular, he/she/it
- adhering participle, present
- adhered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does adhere mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To stick fast or cleave, as a glutinous substance does; to become joined or united.
Wax adhered to his finger.
- 2
To be attached or devoted by personal union, in belief, on principle, etc.
December 13 2016, Secret aid worker, Secret aid worker: NGOs can be efficient, if it involves sacrificing staff But from then on, everything went full speed. A tight timeline was adhered to and it became clear that the organisation’s new di
- 3
To be consistent or coherent; to be in accordance; to agree.
- 4
To fasten by adhesion.
- 5
To affirm a judgment.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Adhere in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | adhérer |
| German | kleben , halten , sich halten (an etwas), befolgen, festhalten |
| Portuguese | aderir |
| Spanish | pegarse, adherirse, adherecer , adherirse a, cumplir con |
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 adhere come from?
From Middle English *adheren (suggested by Middle English adherande (“adhering, adherent”, present participle)), from Latin adhaerēre, adhaesum: ad (“to”) + haerēre (“to stick”). Compare French adhérer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).