evolve
e·volve/ɪˈvɑlv/verb
evolve is spelled E-V-O-L-V-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (e·volve). It appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, evolve means “To move (something) in regular procession through a system” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in evolve?
| Letters | 6: E-V-O-L-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: e·volve |
| In writing | 6.3 times per million words; the 9,594th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 evolve?
Evolve appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th 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 evolve?
- UK /ɪˈvɒlv/
- US /ɪˈvɑlv/
- US /-ˈvɔlv/
Evolve has 2 syllables, split e·volve in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-evolve.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with evolve?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as evolve from its last stressed vowel (/ɑlv/):
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 evolve
- evolves present, singular, he/she/it
- evolving participle, present
- evolved participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does evolve mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move (something) in regular procession through a system.
- 2
To change or transform (something).
Over several years the author evolved the story originally drafted as a novella into a real epic.
- 3
To cause (something) to come into being or develop.
- 4
To acquire or develop (a trait) in the process of biological evolution.
How long ago did birds evolve beaks?
- 5
To change genetic composition over successive generations through the process of evolution.
A hundred thousand years from now, will Homo sapiens have evolved into beings unrecognizable to their ancestors?
- 6
To give off (a gas such as carbon dioxide or oxygen) during a chemical reaction.
to evolve odours
- 7
obsoleteTo wind or unwind (something).
- 8
To move in regular procession through a system.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Evolve in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | évoluer, progresser , élaborer |
| German | andauern, fortdauern , entwickeln , verändern , freisetzen |
| Portuguese | evoluir, progredir, crescer , desenvolver, elaborar |
| Spanish | progresar, evolucionar , desarrollar |
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 evolve come from?
Borrowed from Latin ēvolvō (“unroll, unfold”), from ē- (“out of”) (short form of ex) + volvō (“roll”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).