eavesdrop
/ˈivzˌdɹɑp/verb, noun
eavesdrop is spelled E-A-V-E-S-D-R-O-P: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,192nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, eavesdrop means “To hear (intentionally) a conversation one is not intended to hear; to listen in” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in eavesdrop?
| Letters | 9: E-A-V-E-S-D-R-O-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 54,192nd 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 eavesdrop?
Eavesdrop appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,192nd 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 eavesdrop?
- UK /ˈiːvzˌdɹɒp/
- US /ˈivzˌdɹɑp/
Eavesdrop 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: En-us-eavesdrop.ogg, En-au-eavesdrop.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of eavesdrop
- eavesdrops present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- eavesdropping participle, present
- eavesdropped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does eavesdrop mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To hear (intentionally) a conversation one is not intended to hear; to listen in.
I hope nobody was eavesdropping on our conversation last night, since it got so personal.
- 2
To listen for another organism's calls, so as to exploit them.
noun
- 1
The dripping of rain from the eaves of a house.
- 2
The space around a house on which such water drips.
- 3
A concealed aperture through which an occupant of a building can surreptitiously listen to people talking at an entrance to the building.
- 4
The act of intentionally hearing a conversation not intended to be heard.
Were you having a little eavesdrop on us last night?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Eavesdrop in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | être aux écoutes, écouter secrètement, écouter discrètement , chéneau |
| German | belauschen, horchen, lauschen, abhören, zuhören , Traufe |
| Portuguese | ouvir/escutar escondido |
| Spanish | escuchar disimuladamente, escuchar escondidamente, escuchar furtivamente, escuchar recatadamente, escuchar cautelosamente |
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 eavesdrop come from?
From eaves + drop; the "listening" sense derives from the notion of the listener standing in the area denoted by the physical sense.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).