encounter
en·coun·ter/ɪnˈkaʊntɚ/verb, noun
encounter is spelled E-N-C-O-U-N-T-E-R: 9 letters and 3 syllables (en·coun·ter). It appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, encounter means “To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in encounter?
| Letters | 9: E-N-C-O-U-N-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: en·coun·ter |
| In writing | 18 times per million words; the 4,589th 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 encounter?
Encounter appears 18 times per million words in written English, the 4,589th 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 encounter?
- UK /ɪnˈkaʊntə/
- UK /ɪŋˈkaʊntə/
- US /ɪnˈkaʊntɚ/
Encounter has 3 syllables, split en·coun·ter in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-encounter.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with encounter?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as encounter from its last stressed vowel (/aʊntəɹ/):
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 encounter
- encounters present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- encountering participle, present
- encountered participle, past
- encountre
- incountre
- incounter
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does encounter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To meet (someone) or find (something), especially unexpectedly.
- 2
To confront (someone or something) face to face.
- 3
rareTo meet one another.
- 4
To engage in conflict, as with an enemy.
Three armies encountered at Waterloo.
- 5
IndiaTo kill or execute someone extrajudicially.
noun
- 1
A meeting, especially one that is unplanned or unexpected.
Their encounter was a matter of chance.
- 2
A hostile, often violent meeting; a confrontation, skirmish, or clash, as between combatants.
- 3
A match between two opposing sides.
- 4
A sexual encounter; sexual activity, especially unplanned or unexpected, between two people who have not already established a sexual relationship with each other. In many cases, it does not lead to a relationship, and thus is utterly transient. A sexual encounter can be consensual or non-consensual; in the latter case, it is known as sexual assault. A consensual sexual encounter that happens only
- 5
The period of a space mission during which it carries out its data-gathering objectives.
- 6
IndiaAn extrajudicial killing or execution.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Encounter in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rencontrer , rencontre |
| German | treffen, begegnen , Begegnung, Treffen |
| Portuguese | encontrar, deparar-se com , encontro inesperado , confrontar , confronto |
| Spanish | encontrar, encontrarse, encontrarse / toparse con, enfrentarse a , encontrón, encontronazo |
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 encounter come from?
From Middle English encountren, from Anglo-Norman encountrer, Old French encontrer (“to confront”), from encontre (“against, counter to”), from Late Latin incontrā (“in front of”) itself from Latin in (“in”) + contrā (“against”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).