respond
/ɹɪˈspɑnd/verb, noun
respond is spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 34 times per million words in written English, the 2,831st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, respond means “To say something in return; to answer; to reply” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in respond?
| Letters | 7: R-E-S-P-O-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 34 times per million words; the 2,831st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is respond?
Respond appears 34 times per million words in written English, the 2,831st 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 respond?
- UK /ɹɪˈspɒnd/
- UK /ɹəˈspɒnd/
- US /ɹɪˈspɑnd/
Respond 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: En-us-respond.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with respond?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as respond from its last stressed vowel (/ɑnd/):
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 respond
- responds present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- responding participle, present
- responded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does respond mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To say something in return; to answer; to reply.
to respond to a question or an argument
- 2
To act in return; to carry out an action or in return to a force or stimulus; to do something in response.
- 3
To correspond with; to suit.
- 4
To satisfy; to answer.
The prisoner was held to respond the judgment of the court.
- 5
To be liable for payment.
noun
- 1
A response.
- 2
A versicle or short anthem chanted at intervals during the reading of a lection.
- 3
A half-pillar, pilaster, or any corresponding device engaged in a wall to receive the impost of an arch.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Respond in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | répondre |
| German | antworten , reagieren |
| Portuguese | responder |
| Spanish | responder, salirle al paso |
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 respond come from?
From Middle English respounden, from Old French respondre, from Late Latin respondō, from Latin respondeō. Cf. Modern French répondre.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).