intense
in·tense/ɪnˈtɛns/adjective
intense is spelled I-N-T-E-N-S-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (in·tense). It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, intense means “Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in intense?
| Letters | 7: I-N-T-E-N-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: in·tense |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,683rd 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; 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 intense?
Intense appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd 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 intense?
- US /ɪnˈtɛns/
Intense has 2 syllables, split in·tense in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-intense.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with intense?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as intense from its last stressed vowel (/ɛns/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: tennies.
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 intense
- intenser comparative
- more intense comparative
- intensest superlative
- most intense superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does intense mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering.
- 2
Of a thing: possessing some characteristic to an extreme or very high or strong degree.
- 3
Of feelings, thoughts, etc.: strongly focused; ardent, deep, earnest, passionate.
intense study
- 4
Of a person: very emotional or passionate.
The artist was a small, intense man with piercing blue eyes.
- 5
Under tension; tightly drawn; strained, stressed, tense.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Intense in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 intense come from?
From Late Middle English intens, intense (“ardent, fervent; extreme, great, intense”), borrowed from Old French intense (modern French intense), or directly from its etymon Latin intēnsus (“strained, stretched tight; intense; attentive; violent; (rare) eager, intent”), the perfect passive participle of intendō (“to stretch out, strain”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + tendō (“to extend, stretch”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tend- (“to extend, stretch”)).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).