assert
/əˈsɝt/verb, noun
assert is spelled A-S-S-E-R-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, assert means “To declare with assurance or plainly and strongly; to state positively” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in assert?
| Letters | 6: A-S-S-E-R-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.2 times per million words; the 12,578th 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 assert?
Assert appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th 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 assert?
- UK /əˈsɜːt/
- US /əˈsɝt/
Assert 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-assert.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with assert?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as assert from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹt/):
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 assert
- asserts present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- asserting participle, present
- asserted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does assert mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To declare with assurance or plainly and strongly; to state positively.
He would often assert that there was life on other planets.
- 2
To use or exercise and thereby prove the existence of.
to assert one's authority
- 3
To maintain or defend, as a cause or a claim, by words or measures; to vindicate a claim or title to.
to assert our rights and liberties
- 4
To insist on the legitimacy of one's rights, opinion, etc; not to allow oneself to be dismissed; to ensure that one is taken into consideration; to make oneself respected; to be assertive. See assert oneself.
Since going to therapy, I've found it much easier to assert myself.
- 5
To declare that a condition or expression must be true at a certain point in the source code (in some cases causing the program to fail if it is not, as a safeguard).
- 6
To set a signal on a line using a voltage or electric current.
noun
- 1
Synonym of assertion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Assert in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | affirmer, attester , asseoir |
| German | versichern, zusichern, beteuern |
| Portuguese | assertar, afirmar , assegurar , setar, ativar |
| Spanish | aseverar, asertar |
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 assert come from?
From Latin assertus, perfect passive participle of asserō (“declare someone free or a slave by laying hands upon him; hence free from, protect, defend; lay claim to, assert, declare”), from ad (“to”) + serō (“join, range in a row”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).