comprehend
/ˌkɑmpɹɪˈhɛnd/verb
comprehend is spelled C-O-M-P-R-E-H-E-N-D: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, comprehend means “To understand or grasp fully and thoroughly; to plumb” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in comprehend?
| Letters | 10: C-O-M-P-R-E-H-E-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.0 times per million words; the 11,198th 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 comprehend?
Comprehend appears 5.0 times per million words in written English, the 11,198th 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 comprehend?
- UK /kɒmpɹɪˈhɛnd/
- US /ˌkɑmpɹɪˈhɛnd/
- Australia /kɔmpɹɪˈhend/
Comprehend has 3 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-comprehend.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with comprehend?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as comprehend from its last stressed vowel (/ɛnd/):
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 comprehend
- comprehends present, singular, he/she/it
- comprehending participle, present
- comprehended participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does comprehend mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To understand or grasp fully and thoroughly; to plumb.
I just can't comprehend how someone could be a butcher and vegetarian at the same time.
- 2
archaicTo include, comprise; to contain.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Comprehend in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | comprendre |
| German | begreifen, einsehen , umfassen |
| Portuguese | compreender |
| Spanish | comprender, comprehender, percanzar, diquelar |
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 comprehend come from?
From Middle English comprehenden, from Latin comprehendere (“to grasp”), from the prefix com- + prehendere (“to seize”). Doublet of comprend.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).