erase
/ɪˈɹeɪs/verb, noun
erase is spelled E-R-A-S-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.6 times per million words in written English, the 11,870th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, erase means “To remove (markings or information)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in erase?
| Letters | 5: E-R-A-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.6 times per million words; the 11,870th 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 erase?
Erase appears 4.6 times per million words in written English, the 11,870th 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 erase?
- US /ɪˈɹeɪs/
- US /i-/
- UK /ɪˈɹeɪz/
Erase 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-erase.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with erase?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as erase from its last stressed vowel (/eɪs/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: saree, easer.
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 erase
- erases present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- erasing participle, present
- erased participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does erase mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To remove (markings or information).
I erased that word from the page because it was wrong.
- 2
To obliterate information from (a storage medium), such as to clear or (with magnetic storage) to demagnetize.
I'm going to erase this tape.
- 3
To obliterate (information) from a storage medium, such as to clear or to overwrite.
I'm going to erase those files.
- 4
To remove a runner from the bases via a double play or pick off play
Jones was erased by a 6-4-3 double play.
- 5
To be erased (have markings removed, have information removed, or be cleared of information).
The chalkboard erased easily.
- 6
To disregard (a group, an orientation, etc.); to prevent from having an active role in society.
- 7
slangTo kill; assassinate.
noun
- 1
The operation of deleting data.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Erase in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | effacer , s'effacer |
| German | auslöschen, ausradieren, löschen, tilgen , vernichten |
| Portuguese | apagar , excluir, deletar |
| Spanish | borrar , borrarse |
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 erase come from?
From Latin ērāsus, past participle of ērādere (“to scrape, to abrade”), from ex- (“out of”) + radere (“to scrape”). Compare Middle English arasen, aracen (“to eradicate, erase”). Displaced native Old English dilegian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).