elaborate
/ɪˈlæb.(ə.)ɹət/adjective, verb
elaborate is spelled E-L-A-B-O-R-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,456th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, elaborate means “Complex, detailed, or sophisticated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in elaborate?
| Letters | 9: E-L-A-B-O-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,456th 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 elaborate?
Elaborate appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,456th 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 elaborate?
- /ɪˈlæb.(ə.)ɹət/
As a verb (“Тo develop in detail or complexity”): /ɪˈlæb.ə.ɹeɪt/, /ɪˈlæb.ə.ɹæɪt/, /əˈlæb.ə.ɹæɪt/.
Elaborate 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-elaborate.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-elaborate_(verb).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of elaborate
- more elaborate comparative
- most elaborate superlative
- elaborates present, singular, he/she/it
- elaborating participle, present
- elaborated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does elaborate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Complex, detailed, or sophisticated.
After reading a long, elaborate description, I was impressed but no wiser.
- 2
Intricate, fancy, flashy, or showy.
I stared for hours at the elaborate pattern in the rug.
verb
- 1
Тo develop in detail or complexity.
- 2
To expand/enlarge in detail.
What do you mean you didn't come home last night? Would you care to elaborate?
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Elaborate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | ausführlich, durchdacht , ausarbeiten , ausführen |
| Portuguese | detalhado , argumentar , elaborado |
| Spanish | elaborado , profundizar, ahondar, argumentar |
| French | élaborer , approfondir |
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 elaborate come from?
1575, from Late Latin ēlabōrātus (“worked out”), past participle of ēlabōrō (“to work out”), from ē- (“out, forth, fully”) + labor (“work, toil, exertion”). More at e-, labour.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).