gainsay
/ˈɡeɪnˌseɪ/verb
gainsay is spelled G-A-I-N-S-A-Y: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 29 million words in written English, the 163,711th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, gainsay means “To say something in contradiction to” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in gainsay?
| Letters | 7: G-A-I-N-S-A-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 29 million words; the 163,711th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 gainsay?
Gainsay appears about once in every 29 million words in written English, the 163,711th 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 gainsay?
- /ɡeɪnˈseɪ/
- US /ˈɡeɪnˌseɪ/
Gainsay 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-gainsay.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-gainsay.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with gainsay?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as gainsay (/eɪnseɪ/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: gaysian.
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 gainsay
- gainsays present, singular, he/she/it
- gainsaying participle, present
- gainsaid participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gainsay mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To say something in contradiction to.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gainsay in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to contradict something said:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contredire |
| German | leugnen, widersprechen |
| Portuguese | contradizer |
| Spanish | impugnar, contradecir |
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 gainsay come from?
From Middle English gainsayen, ȝeinseggen (“to say against, say in opposition to”), equivalent to gain- + say. Compare Old Danish gensige (“to speak against; gainsay”), Swedish gensaga (“a speaking against; protest”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).