gentrify
/ˈd͡ʒɛn.tɹɪ.faɪ/verb
gentrify is spelled G-E-N-T-R-I-F-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 121,279th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, gentrify means “To renovate or improve something (especially housing or district), making it more appealing to the middle classes (now often with the negative…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in gentrify?
| Letters | 8: G-E-N-T-R-I-F-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 16 million words; the 121,279th 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 gentrify?
Gentrify appears about once in every 16 million words in written English, the 121,279th 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 gentrify?
- /ˈd͡ʒɛn.tɹɪ.faɪ/
Gentrify 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: En-us-gentrify.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of gentrify
- gentrifies present, singular, he/she/it
- gentrifying participle, present
- gentrified participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gentrify mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To renovate or improve something (especially housing or district), making it more appealing to the middle classes (now often with the negative association of pricing out existing residents).
- 2
To develop and invest in a penurious or impoverished place.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gentrify in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle c:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | embourgeoiser |
| German | gentrifizieren |
| Portuguese | gentrificar |
| Spanish | gentrificar, aburguesar |
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 gentrify come from?
From gentry + -fy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).