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redeem

re·deem/ɹɪˈdiːm/verb

redeem is spelled R-E-D-E-E-M: 6 letters and 2 syllables (re·deem). It appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, redeem means “To recover ownership of something by buying it back” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in redeem?

Letters6: R-E-D-E-E-M
Syllables2: re·deem
In writing3.4 times per million words; the 14,307th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
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 redeem?

Redeem appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th 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 redeem?

  • /ɹɪˈdiːm/

Redeem has 2 syllables, split re·deem in writing.

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

What rhymes with redeem?

No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as redeem.

Spelled with the same letters in another order: deemer.

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 redeem

  • redeems present, singular, he/she/it
  • redeeming participle, present
  • redeemed participle, past

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

What does redeem mean?

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

verb

  1. 1

    To recover ownership of something by buying it back.

  2. 2

    To liberate by payment of a ransom.

  3. 3

    To set free by force.

  4. 4

    To save, rescue.

  5. 5

    To clear, release from debt or blame.

  6. 6

    To expiate, atone (for).

  7. 7

    To convert (some bond or security) into cash.

  8. 8

    To save from a state of sin (and from its consequences).

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

Redeem in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchracheter (to recover ownership of something by paying a…), libérer (to set free by force), secourir (to save, rescue, recover), soulager (to clear, release from debt or blame), liquider (to convert into cash)
Germanzurückkaufen (to recover ownership of something by paying a…), befreien (to set free by force), einlösen (to convert into cash), loslösen, freikaufen (to liberate by payment of ransom)
Portugueseresgatar, redimir (to recover ownership of something by paying a…), libertar (to set free by force), redimir-se (to expiate, atone for)
Spanishredimir (to recover ownership of something by paying a…), canjear (to convert into cash), redimirse (to expiate, atone for)

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 redeem come from?

From Middle English redemen, modified from Old French redimer, from Latin redimō (“release; obviate; atone for”), itself from red- (“back; again”) + emō (“buy; gain, take, procure”).

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

What to look up after redeem