rescue
res·cue/ˈɹɛs.kju/verb, noun
rescue is spelled R-E-S-C-U-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (res·cue). It appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,114th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, rescue means “To save from any violence, danger or evil” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in rescue?
| Letters | 6: R-E-S-C-U-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: res·cue |
| In writing | 30 times per million words; the 3,114th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 rescue?
Rescue appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,114th 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 rescue?
- UK /ˈɹɛs.kjuː/
- US /ˈɹɛs.kju/
- /ˈrɛs.kju/
Rescue has 2 syllables, split res·cue in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-rescue.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rescue?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as rescue (/ɛskju/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: secure, recuse, cereus.
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 rescue
- rescues present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- rescuing participle, present
- rescued participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rescue mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To save from any violence, danger or evil.
The well-trained team rescued everyone after the avalanche.
- 2
To free or liberate from confinement or other physical restraint.
to rescue a prisoner from the enemy
- 3
To recover forcibly, especially from a siege.
- 4
To remove or withdraw from a state of exposure to evil and sin.
Traditionally missionaries aim to rescue many ignorant heathen souls.
- 5
To achieve something positive under difficult conditions.
- 6
To restore a particular trait in an organism that was lost or altered, especially where this loss was as the consequence of some experimental manipulation.
- 7
To salvage and restore something that has been discarded.
I rescued a set of antique dining chairs.
- 8
To fix a mistake made while preparing something, especially in cooking.
The cook rescued the sauce after it began to curdle.
noun
- 1
An act or episode of rescuing, saving.
- 2
A liberation, freeing.
- 3
The act of unlawfully freeing a person, or confiscated goods, from custody.
- 4
The forcible ending of a siege; liberation from similar military peril.
The rescue of Jerusalem was the original motive of the Crusaders
- 5
A special airliner flight to bring home passengers who are stranded.
- 6
A rescuee.
The dog was a rescue with some behavior issues.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rescue in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | délivrer, secourir, sauver , sauvetage, secours, rescousse |
| German | retten, bergen, erlösen , Rettung |
| Portuguese | resgatar, salvar , resgate |
| Spanish | rescatar, socorrer, acorrer , rescate |
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 rescue come from?
From Middle English rescouen, from Old French rescoure, rescurre, rescorre; from Latin prefix re- (“re-”) + excutere (“to shake or drive out”), from ex (“out”) + quatiō (“to shake”). Displaced native Old English nerian.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).