examine
ex·am·ine/ɪɡˈzæmɪn/verb, noun
examine is spelled E-X-A-M-I-N-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables (ex·am·ine). It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,309th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, examine means “To observe carefully or critically to learn about someone or something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in examine?
| Letters | 7: E-X-A-M-I-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ex·am·ine |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,309th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is examine?
Examine appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,309th 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 examine?
- /ɪɡˈzæmɪn/
Examine has 3 syllables, split ex·am·ine in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-examine.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of examine
- examines present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- examining participle, present
- examined participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does examine mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To observe carefully or critically to learn about someone or something.
He examined the crime scene for clues.
- 2
To check the health or condition of something or someone.
The doctor examined the patient.
- 3
To determine the aptitude, skills or qualifications of someone by subjecting them to an examination.
- 4
To interrogate.
The witness was examined under oath.
noun
- 1
informalAn act of examining.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Examine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | examiner |
| German | untersuchen , prüfen , befragen |
| Portuguese | examinar, analisar , testar , interrogar |
| Spanish | examinar, analizar , auscultar |
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 examine come from?
From Middle English examinen, examenen, from Old French examiner, from Latin exāmināre.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).