constrict
/kənˈstɹɪkt/verb
constrict is spelled C-O-N-S-T-R-I-C-T: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, constrict means “To narrow, especially by application of pressure” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in constrict?
| Letters | 9: C-O-N-S-T-R-I-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 64,400th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is constrict?
Constrict appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th 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 constrict?
- /kənˈstɹɪkt/
Constrict 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-constrict.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of constrict
- constricts present, singular, he/she/it
- constricting participle, present
- constricted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does constrict mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To narrow, especially by application of pressure.
constrict the airway
- 2
To coil around (prey) in order to asphyxiate it. (of a snake)
The snake began to constrict its prey.
- 3
To limit or restrict.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Constrict in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to narrow:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | einengen, verengen |
| Portuguese | constringir |
| Spanish | estrechar, constringir |
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 constrict come from?
Borrowed from Latin cōnstrictus (“compressed, contracted”), past participle of cōnstringō (“to draw or bind together; to compress”). Doublet of constrain.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).