astound
/əˈstaʊnd/verb
astound is spelled A-S-T-O-U-N-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,913th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, astound means “To astonish, bewilder or dazzle” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in astound?
| Letters | 7: A-S-T-O-U-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 65,913th 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 astound?
Astound appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,913th 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 astound?
- US /əˈstaʊnd/
- Australia /əˈstæɔnd/
- /əˈstæʊnd/
Astound 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-astound.oga, En-us-astound.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with astound?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as astound from its last stressed vowel (/aʊnd/):
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 astound
- astounds present, singular, he/she/it
- astounding participle, present
- astounded participle, past
- more astound comparative
- most astound superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does astound mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To astonish, bewilder or dazzle.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteStunned; astounded; astonished.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Astound in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to astonish, bewilder or dazzle:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | étonner, stupéfier, ébahir, épater |
| German | verblüffen, überraschen, erstaunen |
| Portuguese | surpreender |
| Spanish | asombrar, pasmar |
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 astound come from?
From Middle English astouned, astoned, astuned, past participle of astounen, astonen, astunen (“to astonish”). More at astonish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).