invent
/ɪnˈvɛnt/verb
invent is spelled I-N-V-E-N-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, invent means “To design a new process or mechanism” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in invent?
| Letters | 6: I-N-V-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.7 times per million words; the 13,496th 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 invent?
Invent appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th 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 invent?
- /ɪnˈvɛnt/
Invent has 2 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-invent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of invent
- invents present, singular, he/she/it
- inventing participle, present
- invented participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does invent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To design a new process or mechanism.
After weeks of hard work, I invented a new way to alphabetize matchbooks.
- 2
To create something fictional for a particular purpose.
I knew I had to invent an excuse, and quickly.
- 3
obsoleteTo come upon; to find; to discover.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Invent 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 invent come from?
From Middle English inventen, borrowed from Old French inventer, from Latin inventus, perfect passive participle of inveniō (“come upon, meet with, find, discover”), from in (“in, on”) + veniō (“come”); see venture. Compare advent, covent, event, prevent, etc. Displaced native Old English āþenċan (literally “to think out”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).