narrate
/ˈnæɹeɪt/verb
narrate is spelled N-A-R-R-A-T-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, narrate means “To relate (a story or series of events) in speech or writing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in narrate?
| Letters | 7: N-A-R-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th 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 narrate?
Narrate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th 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 narrate?
- UK /nəˈɹeɪt/
- US /ˈnæɹeɪt/
- US /ˈnɛɹ.eɪt/
Narrate 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-narrate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of narrate
- narrates present, singular, he/she/it
- narrating participle, present
- narrated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does narrate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To relate (a story or series of events) in speech or writing.
narrate a story
- 2
To give an account.
narrate the meeting
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Narrate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | raconter, conter, narrer , rapporter, relater |
| German | erzählen , berichten |
| Portuguese | narrar, contar |
| Spanish | narrar, contar, relatar, historiar, recontar |
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 narrate come from?
In English (recorded only since 1656, but until the 19th century stigmatized as 'Scottish') apparently from narration.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).