embroil
em·broil/əmˈbɹɔɪl/verb
embroil is spelled E-M-B-R-O-I-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables (em·broil). It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, embroil means “To bring (something) into a state of confusion or uproar; to complicate, to confuse, to jumble” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in embroil?
| Letters | 7: E-M-B-R-O-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: em·broil |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 131,834th 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; 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 embroil?
Embroil appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th 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 embroil?
- UK /ɪmˈbɹɔɪl/
- UK /ɛm-/
- US /əmˈbɹɔɪl/
Embroil has 2 syllables, split em·broil in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-embroil.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with embroil?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as embroil from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɪl/):
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 embroil
- embroils present, singular, he/she/it
- embroiling participle, present
- embroiled participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does embroil mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To bring (something) into a state of confusion or uproar; to complicate, to confuse, to jumble.
- 2
To cause (someone) to be drawn into or involved in a difficult situation or state of contention.
Avoid him. He will embroil you in his fights.
- 3
obsoleterareTo set (something) on fire; to burn (something).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA state of confusion or uproar; a commotion, a disturbance; also, a quarrel.
- 2
obsoleteA state of anxiety or disturbance of the mind.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Embroil in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to cause (someone) to be drawn into or involved in a difficult situation or stat:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | embourber |
| German | hineinziehen, verwickeln |
| Portuguese | envolver |
| Spanish | enredar, entrometer, involucrar |
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 embroil come from?
The verb is borrowed from French embrouiller (“to entangle”), from em- (a variant of en- (prefix meaning ‘in; into’)) + brouiller (“to confuse, mix up”) (ultimately from Vulgar Latin *brodiculāre, from *brodicāre, from Late Latin brodium (“broth, stew; mixture”), from Frankish *broþ (“broth”), from Proto-Germanic *bruþą (“stock, broth”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to boil; to brew”)). The noun is derived from the verb.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).