embargo
/ɪmˈbɑɹɡoʊ/noun, verb
embargo is spelled E-M-B-A-R-G-O: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, embargo means “An order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of embargo is embargoes or embargos.
How many letters and syllables are in embargo?
| Letters | 7: E-M-B-A-R-G-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,336th 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 embargo?
Embargo appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,336th 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 embargo?
- US /ɪmˈbɑɹɡoʊ/
- UK /ɪmˈbɑːɡəʊ/
Embargo 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-embargo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with embargo?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as embargo from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹɡoʊ/):
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 embargo
- embargoes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- embargos plural
- embargoing participle, present
- embargoed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does embargo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An order by the government prohibiting ships from leaving port.
- 2
A ban on trade with another country.
- 3
A temporary ban on making certain information public.
This copy of the federal budget is under embargo until 2 p.m.
- 4
A heavy burden or severe constraint on action or expenditure.
verb
- 1
To impose an embargo on trading certain goods with another country.
- 2
To impose an embargo on a document.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Embargo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | embargo |
| German | Embargo, Beschlagnahme , Ausfuhrsperre, Handelsverbot, Handelsembargo |
| Portuguese | embargo, bloqueio |
| Spanish | embargo |
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 embargo come from?
From Spanish embargar (“to arrest”), from late Latin *imbarricāre (“to bar”), from Latin in- + Vulgar Latin *barra (“bar, barrier”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).