apprehension
/æp.ɹiˈhɛn.ʃən/noun
apprehension is spelled A-P-P-R-E-H-E-N-S-I-O-N: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, apprehension means “The physical act of seizing or taking hold of (something); seizing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of apprehension is apprehensions.
How many letters and syllables are in apprehension?
| Letters | 12: A-P-P-R-E-H-E-N-S-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 apprehension?
Apprehension appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st 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 apprehension?
- UK /æp.ɹɪˈhɛn.ʃən/
- US /æp.ɹiˈhɛn.ʃən/
Apprehension has 4 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)-Mélange_a_trois-apprehension.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with apprehension?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as apprehension from its last stressed vowel (/ɛnʃən/):
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 apprehension
- apprehensions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does apprehension mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
rareThe physical act of seizing or taking hold of (something); seizing.
The wing would have been a severe obstruction to apprehension of an object on the ground.
- 2
The act of seizing or taking by legal process; arrest.
- 3
Perception; the act of understanding using one's intellect without affirming, denying, or passing any judgment
- 4
Opinion; conception; sentiment; idea.
- 5
The faculty by which ideas are conceived or by which perceptions are grasped; understanding.
- 6
Anticipation, especially of unfavorable things such as dread or fear or the prospect of something unpleasant in the future.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Apprehension in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Greifen, Ergreifen, Fassen, Anfassen, Nehmen , Festnahme |
| Portuguese | apreensão |
| Spanish | arresto , aprensión |
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 apprehension come from?
Borrowed from Latin apprehensio, apprehensionis, compare with French appréhension. See apprehend.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).