magnify
/ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/verb
magnify is spelled M-A-G-N-I-F-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, magnify means “To praise, glorify (someone or something, especially God)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in magnify?
| Letters | 7: M-A-G-N-I-F-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th 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 magnify?
Magnify appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th 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 magnify?
- UK /ˈmaɡnɪfaɪ/
- US /ˈmæɡnɪfaɪ/
Magnify has 3 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-au-magnify.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of magnify
- magnifies present, singular, he/she/it
- magnifying participle, present
- magnified participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does magnify mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To praise, glorify (someone or something, especially God).
- 2
To make (something) larger or more important.
- 3
To make (someone or something) appear greater or more important than it is; to intensify, exaggerate.
- 4
To make (something) appear larger by means of a lens, magnifying glass, telescope etc.
- 5
obsoleteslangTo have effect; to be of importance or significance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Magnify in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to make larger:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | agrandir |
| German | vergrößern |
| Portuguese | magnificar, ampliar |
| Spanish | magnificar |
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 magnify come from?
From Middle English magnifien, from Middle French magnifier, from Latin magnificāre, from magnificus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).