grasp
/ɡɹɑːsp/verb, noun
grasp is spelled G-R-A-S-P: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, grasp means “To grip; to take hold, particularly with the hand” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in grasp?
| Letters | 5: G-R-A-S-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.3 times per million words; the 7,445th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 grasp?
Grasp appears 9.3 times per million words in written English, the 7,445th 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 grasp?
- UK /ɡɹɑːsp/
- UK /ɡɹæsp/
- /ɡɹasp/
Grasp has one syllable (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-grasp.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with grasp?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as grasp from its last stressed vowel (/ɑsp/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: graps, sprag.
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 grasp
- grasps present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- grasping participle, present
- grasped participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
- graps
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does grasp mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To grip; to take hold, particularly with the hand.
- 2
To understand.
I have never been able to grasp the concept of infinity.
- 3
To take advantage of something, to seize, to jump at a chance.
noun
- 1
Grip.
A vagrant gust of wind snatched the note from my grasp.
- 2
Understanding.
- 3
That which is accessible; that which is within one's reach or ability.
The goal is within my grasp.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Grasp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | saisir, agripper , comprendre |
| German | greifen, erfassen , begreifen, verstehen , Griff , Verständnis |
| Portuguese | agarrar , entender, compreender , compreensão , alcance |
| Spanish | agarrar, asir, aferrar, aprehender , comprender, comprehender |
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 grasp come from?
From Middle English graspen, grapsen, craspen (“to grope; feel around”), from Old English *grǣpsian, from Proto-West Germanic *graipisōn, from Proto-Germanic *graipisōną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to take, seize, rake”), the same ultimate source as grab.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).