engrossing
/ɛnˈɡɹoʊsɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
engrossing is spelled E-N-G-R-O-S-S-I-N-G: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, engrossing means “Utterly consuming one's time and attention” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in engrossing?
| Letters | 10: E-N-G-R-O-S-S-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,832nd 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 engrossing?
Engrossing appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd 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 engrossing?
- UK /ɛnˈɡɹəʊsɪŋ/
- UK /ɛŋˈɡɹəʊsɪŋ/
- US /ɛnˈɡɹoʊsɪŋ/
Engrossing 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)-Persent101-engrossing.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of engrossing
- more engrossing comparative
- most engrossing superlative
- engrossings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does engrossing mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Utterly consuming one's time and attention.
an engrossing documentary
noun
- 1
The act of one who engrosses, or buys up wholesale.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of engross
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Engrossing in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense absorbing:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | absorbant, captivant |
| German | fesselnd |
| Portuguese | absorvente, cativante |
| Spanish | absorbente, cautivante |
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.