convalesce
/ˌkɑn.vəˈlɛs/verb
convalesce is spelled C-O-N-V-A-L-E-S-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, convalesce means “To recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in convalesce?
| Letters | 10: C-O-N-V-A-L-E-S-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 133,440th 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 convalesce?
Convalesce appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 133,440th 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 convalesce?
- UK /ˌkɒn.vəˈlɛs/
- US /ˌkɑn.vəˈlɛs/
Convalesce 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-convalesce.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with convalesce?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as convalesce from its last stressed vowel (/ɛs/):
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 convalesce
- convalesces present, singular, he/she/it
- convalescing participle, present
- convalesced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does convalesce mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness.
The patient convalesced for six months after his stroke.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Convalesce in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to recover:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | genesen |
| Portuguese | convalescer |
| Spanish | convalecer |
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 convalesce come from?
From Latin convalēscere, from con- (intensive prefix) + valēscere (“to become strong”), inchoative of valēre (“to be strong”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).