eager
ea·ger/ˈiɡɚ/adjective, verb, noun
eager is spelled E-A-G-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables (ea·ger). It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, eager means “Desirous; keen to do or obtain something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in eager?
| Letters | 5: E-A-G-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ea·ger |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,784th 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; 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 eager?
Eager appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th 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 eager?
- US /ˈiɡɚ/
- UK /ˈiːɡə/
- US /ˈɪɡɚ/
Eager has 2 syllables, split ea·ger in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-eager.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with eager?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as eager from its last stressed vowel (/iɡəɹ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: agree, agere.
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 eager
- more eager comparative
- eagerer comparative
- most eager superlative
- eagerest superlative
- eagers present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- eagering participle, present
- eagered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does eager mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.
Stacey is very eager to go cycling this weekend.
- 2
Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
an eager algorithm
- 3
datedBrittle; inflexible; not ductile.
- 4
obsoleteSharp; sour; acid.
- 5
obsoleteSharp; keen; bitter; severe.
verb
- 1
To be or become eager.
- 2
To express eagerness.
- 3
To make or encourage to be eager
noun
- 1
Alternative form of eagre (“tidal bor”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Eager in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense wanting something very much:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | désireux, enthousiaste, impatient |
| German | begierig, gierig, eifrig |
| Portuguese | ávido |
| Spanish | ilusionado, anhelante, anheloso, afanoso, turnio, pilas |
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 eager come from?
Inherited from Middle English egre, eger, from Old French aigre, egre (modern French aigre), from Latin ācrus, variant of ācer (“sharp, keen”); see acid, acerb, etc. Compare vinegar, alegar.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).