avert
/əˈvɝt/verb
avert is spelled A-V-E-R-T: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, avert means “To turn aside or away” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in avert?
| Letters | 5: A-V-E-R-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 24,170th 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 avert?
Avert appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th 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 avert?
- US /əˈvɝt/
- UK /əˈvɜːt/
Avert 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-avert.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with avert?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as avert from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹt/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: trave.
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 avert
- averts present, singular, he/she/it
- averting participle, present
- averted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does avert mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To turn aside or away.
I averted my eyes while my friend typed in her password.
- 2
To ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of.
How can the danger be averted?
- 3
archaicTo turn away.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Avert in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | détourner , prévenir, éviter |
| German | abwenden , verhindern |
| Spanish | apartar, desviar , evitar, impedir, prevenir |
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 avert come from?
From Middle English averten, adverten, from Old French avertir (“turn, direct, avert; turn the attention, make aware”), from Latin āvertere, from ab + vertō (“to turn”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).