enthrall

/ɪnˈθɹɔːl/

//ɪnˈθɹɔːl// verb

"enthrall" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“enthrall” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To enslave; to subjugate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-enthrall · enthrall · English

enthrall · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "E" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for enthrall
PropertyValue
Headwordenthrall
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪnˈθɹɔːl/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “enthrall” in English

enthrallsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

enthrall is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪnˈθɹɔːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for enthrall, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English enthrallen. By surface analysis, en- + thrall. The correct English form is enthrall, spelled E-N-T-H-R-A-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To enslave; to subjugate.
  2. 2
    To hold spellbound.
  3. 3
    To make subservient.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how enthrall appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Fancy, Jim, to be in love and play Juliet! To have him sitting there! To play for his delight! I am afraid I may frighten the company, frighten or enthrall them.
  2. In the center of the circle of glittering black bodies he leaped and roared and shook his heavy spear in the same mad abandon that enthralled his fellow savages. The last remnant of his civilization was forgotten—he was a primitive man to the fullest now; reveling in the freedom of the fierce, wild life he loved, gloating in his kingship among these wild…

Etymology

From Middle English enthrallen. By surface analysis, en- + thrall.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "enthrall"?
"enthrall" is spelled E-N-T-H-R-A-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈθɹɔːl/.
What does "enthrall" mean?
As a verb, "enthrall" means: To enslave; to subjugate.
How do you pronounce "enthrall"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enthrall" is /ɪnˈθɹɔːl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "enthrall"?
From Middle English enthrallen. By surface analysis, en- + thrall. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list