embody
/ɪmˈbɑdi/verb
embody is spelled E-M-B-O-D-Y: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, embody means “To represent in a physical or concrete form; to incarnate or personify” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in embody?
| Letters | 6: E-M-B-O-D-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 23,253rd 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 embody?
Embody appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd 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 embody?
- UK /ɪmˈbɒdi/
- US /ɪmˈbɑdi/
- US [ɪmˈbɑɾi]
Embody 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-embody.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with embody?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as embody from its last stressed vowel (/ɑdi/):
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 embody
- embodies present, singular, he/she/it
- embodying participle, present
- embodied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does embody mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To represent in a physical or concrete form; to incarnate or personify.
As the car salesman approached, wearing a plaid suit and slicked-back hair, he seemed to embody sleaze.
- 2
To represent in some other form, such as a code of laws.
The US Constitution aimed to embody the ideals of diverse groups of people, from Puritans to Deists.
- 3
To comprise or include as part of a cohesive whole; to be made up of.
- 4
To unite in a body or mass.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Embody in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | incarner, personnifier , représenter |
| German | verkörpern |
| Portuguese | incorporar, encarnar, personificar |
| Spanish | corporeizar, corporizar, corporificar |
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 embody come from?
From em- + body.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).