engage
/ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/verb
engage is spelled E-N-G-A-G-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,875th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, engage means “To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in engage?
| Letters | 6: E-N-G-A-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 23 times per million words; the 3,875th 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 engage?
Engage appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,875th 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 engage?
- /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/
- /ɛnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/
Engage has 2 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-engage.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of engage
- engages present, singular, he/she/it
- engaging participle, present
- engaged participle, past
- ingage
- more engagé comparative
- most engagé superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does engage mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied.
- 2
To draw into conversation.
- 3
To attract, to please; (archaic) to fascinate or win over (someone).
- 4
To enter into conflict with (an enemy).
- 5
To enter into battle.
- 6
To arrange to employ or use (a worker, a space, etc.).
- 7
To guarantee or promise (to do something).
- 8
To bind through legal or moral obligation (to do something, especially to marry) (usually in passive).
They were engaged last month! They're planning to have the wedding next year.
noun
- 1
Someone serving under a contract of engagement.
adjective
- 1
Passionately committed to a cause.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Engage in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | attirer l'attention , engager , embrayer |
| German | beschäftigen , einrasten, ineinander greifen , anstellen , angreifen, anlegen |
| Spanish | embebecer, embelesar, sugestionar, enganchar , trabar conversación con, entablar |
| Portuguese | contratar , comprometer-se , engajar |
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 engage come from?
From Middle English engagen, from Old French engagier (“to pledge, engage”), from Old French en- (“in, under”) + gage (“pledge”), from Frankish *wadi (“pledge”), from Proto-Germanic *wadją (“pledge, guarantee”), from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- (“to pledge, redeem a pledge; guarantee, bail”), equivalent to en- + gage. Cognate with Old English weddian (“to engage, covenant, undertake”), German wetten (“to bet, wager”), Icelandic veðja (“to wager”). More at wed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).