engross
/ɪnˈɡɹəʊs/verb
engross is spelled E-N-G-R-O-S-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 119,826th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, engross means “To write (a document) in large, aesthetic, and legible lettering; to make a finalized copy of” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in engross?
| Letters | 7: E-N-G-R-O-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 16 million words; the 119,826th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 engross?
Engross appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 119,826th 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 engross?
- UK /ɪnˈɡɹəʊs/
- UK /ɪŋˈɡɹəʊs/
- UK /ɛnˈɡɹəʊs/
Engross 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-engross.ogg, En-au-engross.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with engross?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as engross (/əʊs/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: grossen.
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 engross
- engrosses present, singular, he/she/it
- engrossing participle, present
- engrossed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does engross mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To write (a document) in large, aesthetic, and legible lettering; to make a finalized copy of.
- 2
obsoleteTo buy up wholesale, especially to buy the whole supply of (a commodity etc.).
- 3
To monopolize; to concentrate (something) in the single possession of someone, especially unfairly.
- 4
To completely engage the attention of; to involve.
She seems to be completely engrossed in that book.
- 5
obsoleteTo thicken; to condense.
- 6
obsoleteTo make gross, thick, or large; to thicken; to increase in bulk or quantity.
- 7
obsoleteTo amass.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Engross in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | grossoyer , accaparer, rafler, s'emparer de , monopoliser |
| Spanish | acaparar, arramblar, apandar, alzarse con , monopolizar |
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 engross come from?
From Middle English engrossen, from Anglo-Norman engrosser (“to gather in large quantities, draft something in final form”); partly from the phrase en gros (“in bulk, in quantity, at wholesale”), from en- + gros; and partly from Medieval Latin ingrossō (“thicken, write something large and in bold lettering”, v.), from in- + grossus (“great, big, thick”), from Old High German grōz (“big, thick, coarse”), from Proto-West Germanic *graut, from Proto-Germanic *grautaz (“large, great, thick, coarse grained, unrefined”), from Proto-Indo-European *ghrewə- (“to fell, put down, fall in”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).