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PlainSpell

involve

in·volveUK /ɪnˈvɒlv/verb

involve is spelled I-N-V-O-L-V-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (in·volve). It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, involve means “To have (something) as a component or a related part; to comprise, to include” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in involve?

Letters7: I-N-V-O-L-V-E
Syllables2: in·volve
In writing19 times per million words; the 4,444th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

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 involve?

Involve appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th 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 involve?

  • UK /ɪnˈvɒlv/
  • British /ɪnˈvɔlv/
  • /ɪnˈvoːv/

Involve has 2 syllables, split in·volve in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-involve.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with involve?

One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as involve from its last stressed vowel (/ɒlv/, British pronunciation):

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 involve

  • involves present, singular, he/she/it
  • involving participle, present
  • involved participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
  • envolve

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does involve mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    To have (something) as a component or a related part; to comprise, to include.

    My job involves forecasting economic trends.

  2. 2

    To include (something) as a logical or natural, or necessary component, or consequence or effect of something else; to entail, to imply.

  3. 3

    To cause or engage (someone or something) to become connected or implicated, or to participate, in some activity or situation.

    By involving herself in her local community, Mary met lots of people and also helped make it a nicer place to live.

  4. 4

    Chiefly followed by with: to engage (someone or oneself) in an emotional or sexual relationship.

  5. 5

    To entangle, intertwine, or mingle (something with one or more other things, or several things together); especially, to entangle (someone or something) in a confusing or troublesome situation.

    to involve a person in debt or misery

  6. 6

    archaicTo cover or envelop (something) completely; to hide, to surround.

    to involve in darkness or obscurity

  7. 7

    archaicTo form (something) into a coil or spiral, or into folds; to entwine, to fold up, to roll, to wind round.

  8. 8

    archaicobsoleteTo make (something) intricate; to complicate.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Involve in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Germanverbunden sein (mit), mit sich bringen (to have (something) as a component or a related…), sich engagieren, jdn. bei etwas einschalten, einbinden, einbeziehen (to cause or engage (someone or something) to…)
Spanishinvolucrar (to have (something) as a component or a related…), involucrarse, llevar en la balastra (to cause or engage (someone or something) to…), envolver (to form (something) into a coil or spiral, or…)
Frenchimpliquer, involver (to cause or engage (someone or something) to…)
Portugueseenvolver (to cause or engage (someone or something) to…), elevar (to multiply (a number) by itself a given number…)

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 involve come from?

From Late Middle English involven (“to cloud; to encumber; to envelop, surround; to ponder (something); (reflexive) to concern (oneself) with something”) [and other forms], borrowed from Old French involver, envoudre, or from its etymon Latin involvere, the present active infinitive of Latin involvō (“to roll to or upon something; to roll about; to coil or curl up; to cover; to envelop, wrap up; to overwhelm”), from in- (prefix meaning ‘in, inside, within’) + volvō (“to roll; to tumble”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn; to wind (turn coils)”)).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after involve