himself
him·self/hɪmˈsɛlf/pronoun
himself is spelled H-I-M-S-E-L-F: 7 letters and 2 syllables (him·self). It appears 178 times per million words in written English, the 565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a pronoun, himself means “Him; the male object of a verb or preposition that also appears as the subject” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in himself?
| Letters | 7: H-I-M-S-E-L-F |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: him·self |
| In writing | 178 times per million words; the 565th 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; 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 himself?
Himself appears 178 times per million words in written English, the 565th 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 himself?
- /hɪmˈsɛlf/
- /ɪ̈mˈsɛlf/
- Australia /hɪmˈself/
Himself has 2 syllables, split him·self in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-himself.wav, En-us-himself.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with himself?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as himself.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: flemish.
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 himself
- he
- herself feminine
- itself
- themselves singular
- themself singular
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does himself mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
pronoun
- 1
masculineHim; the male object of a verb or preposition that also appears as the subject
He injured himself.
- 2
masculineHe; used as an intensifier, often to emphasize that the referent is the exclusive participant in the predicate
He was injured himself.
- 3
IrelandmasculineThe subject or non-reflexive object of a predicate; he himself.
With shame remembers, while himself was one / Of the same herd, himself the same had done.
- 4
IrelandmasculineThe subject or non-reflexive object of a predicate; he (used of upper-class gentlemen, or sarcastically, of men who imagine themselves to be more important than others)
Has himself come down to breakfast yet?
pronoun
- 1
Honorific alternative letter-case form of himself, sometimes used when referring to God or another important figure who is understood from context.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Himself in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lui-même, à lui-même, se |
| German | sich , er selbst |
| Portuguese | se, si, a si mesmo , ele mesmo |
| Spanish | él mismo, sí mismo |
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 himself come from?
From Middle English hymself, from Old English him selfum. Equivalent to him + -self.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).