insist
in·sist/ɪnˈsɪst/verb
insist is spelled I-N-S-I-S-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables (in·sist). It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, insist means “To hold up a claim emphatically” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in insist?
| Letters | 6: I-N-S-I-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: in·sist |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,784th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is insist?
Insist appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th 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 insist?
- /ɪnˈsɪst/
Insist has 2 syllables, split in·sist in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-insist1.ogg, En-us-insist.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of insist
- insists present, singular, he/she/it
- insisting participle, present
- insisted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does insist mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To hold up a claim emphatically.
The defendant insisted on his innocence.
- 2
To demand continually that something happen or be done; to reiterate a demand despite requests to abandon it.
The Prime Minister insisted on his Chancellor's resignation.
- 3
obsoleteTo stand (on); to rest (upon); to lean (upon).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Insist in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | insister |
| German | auf etwas bestehen, beharren, insistieren |
| Portuguese | insistir |
| Spanish | insistir, empeñarse , instar |
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 insist come from?
Partly from Middle French insister, from Latin īnsistere; and partly from a back-formation from insistence. Compare typologically from the same PIE root Bulgarian настоявам (nastojavam), Russian наста́ивать (nastáivatʹ).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).