fascinate
/ˈfæsɪneɪt/verb
fascinate is spelled F-A-S-C-I-N-A-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, fascinate means “To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fascinate?
| Letters | 9: F-A-S-C-I-N-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,337th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is fascinate?
Fascinate appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,337th 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 fascinate?
- /ˈfæsɪneɪt/
Fascinate has 3 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-fascinate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fascinate
- fascinates present, singular, he/she/it
- fascinating participle, present
- fascinated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fascinate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone.
The flickering TV fascinated the cat.
- 2
To make someone hold motionless; to spellbind.
We were fascinated by the potter's skill.
- 3
To be irresistibly charming or attractive to.
Her gait fascinates all men.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fascinate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fasciner |
| German | faszinieren , bezaubern |
| Portuguese | fascinar |
| Spanish | fascinar |
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 fascinate come from?
Borrowed from Latin fascinātus, perfect passive participle of fascinō (“to enchant, bewitch, fascinate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from fascinum (“a phallus-shaped amulet worn around the neck in Ancient Rome; witchcraft”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), itself of obscure origin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).