enthuse

/ɛnˈθjuːz/

//ɛnˈθjuːz// verb

"enthuse" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To show enthusiasm.

Corpus desk

Index EN-enthuse · enthuse · English

enthuse · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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 enthuse
PropertyValue
Headwordenthuse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɛnˈθjuːz/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “enthuse” in English

enthusefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

enthuse is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɛnˈθjuːz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

enthuse has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested from 1827. Back-formation from enthusiasm, from Ancient Greek ἔνθεος (éntheos, “possessed by a god”), from ἐν (en, “in”) + θεός (theós, “god”) The correct English form is enthuse, spelled E-N-T-H-U-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To show enthusiasm.
  2. 2
    To cause (someone) to feel enthusiasm or to be enthusiastic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a splendid performance, and I was enthusing over it
  2. The novelty of the film enthused the audience.

Etymology

First attested from 1827. Back-formation from enthusiasm, from Ancient Greek ἔνθεος (éntheos, “possessed by a god”), from ἐν (en, “in”) + θεός (theós, “god”)

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 "enthuse"?
"enthuse" is spelled E-N-T-H-U-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛnˈθjuːz/.
What does "enthuse" mean?
As a verb, "enthuse" means: To show enthusiasm.
How do you pronounce "enthuse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enthuse" is /ɛnˈθjuːz/. 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 "enthuse"?
First attested from 1827. Back-formation from enthusiasm, from Ancient Greek ἔνθεος (éntheos, “possessed by a god”), from ἐν (en, “in”) + θεός (theós, “god”) 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