ascribe
/əˈskɹaɪb/verb
ascribe is spelled A-S-C-R-I-B-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, ascribe means “To regard as arising from a specified cause or source” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ascribe?
| Letters | 7: A-S-C-R-I-B-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,336th 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 ascribe?
Ascribe appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th 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 ascribe?
- US /əˈskɹaɪb/
Ascribe 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-au-ascribe.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ascribe?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ascribe from its last stressed vowel (/aɪb/):
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 ascribe
- ascribes present, singular, he/she/it
- ascribing participle, present
- ascribed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ascribe mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To regard as arising from a specified cause or source.
One may ascribe these problems to the federal government; however, at this stage it is unclear what caused them.
- 2
To attribute (a book, painting, or any other work of art or literature) to a writer or creator.
It is arguable as to whether we can truly ascribe this play to Shakespeare.
- 3
nonstandardTo believe in or agree with; to subscribe.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ascribe in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to attribute a cause or characteristic to:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | imputer, attribuer, prêter |
| German | zurückführen, zuschreiben |
| Portuguese | atribuir |
| Spanish | adscribir, arrogar |
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 ascribe come from?
From Middle English ascriben, from Old French ascrivre (“inscribe, attribute, impute”), from Latin āscrībere (“to state in writing”), equivalent to a- + scribe.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).