ensue
/ɪnˈsjuː/verb
ensue is spelled E-N-S-U-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, ensue means “To occur afterwards, as a result or effect” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ensue?
| Letters | 5: E-N-S-U-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 ensue?
Ensue appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd 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 ensue?
- UK /ɪnˈsjuː/
- UK /ɪnˈʃuː/
- UK /ɛnˈsjuː/
Ensue 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ensue.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ensue?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ensue from its last stressed vowel (/u/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: unsee.
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 ensue
- ensues present, singular, he/she/it
- ensuing participle, present
- ensued participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ensue mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo follow (a leader, inclination etc.).
- 2
obsoleteTo follow (in time), to be subsequent to.
- 3
To occur afterwards, as a result or effect.
Give three freshmen six bottles of wine, and hilarity will ensue.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ensue in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to occur as consequence:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | résulter, découler |
| German | folgen, ansetzen, erfolgen, nachfolgen, resultieren, sich ergeben |
| Portuguese | resultar, seguir-se |
| Spanish | seguirse, resultar, sobrevenir, avenir, advenir, ocurrir después de |
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 ensue come from?
From Old French ensu-, stem of some conjugated forms of ensuivre (“follow close upon, come afterward”) (French ensuivre), from Latin īnsequere, from īnsequi (“to pursue, follow, follow after; come next”), from in- (“upon”) (see in-) + sequi (“follow”) (see sequel).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).