reward
/ɹɪˈwɔːd/noun, verb
reward is spelled R-E-W-A-R-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, reward means “Something of value given in return for an act” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of reward is rewards.
How many letters and syllables are in reward?
| Letters | 6: R-E-W-A-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 21 times per million words; the 4,076th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 reward?
Reward appears 21 times per million words in written English, the 4,076th 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 reward?
- UK /ɹɪˈwɔːd/
- UK /ɹɪˈwɔːd/
- UK /ɹəˈwɔːd/
Reward 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-reward.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with reward?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as reward from its last stressed vowel (/ɔd/, British pronunciation):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: drawer, redraw, warder.
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 reward
- rewards plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- rewarding participle, present
- rewarded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does reward mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Something of value given in return for an act.
For catching the thief, you'll get a nice reward.
- 2
A prize promised for a certain deed or catch
The rewards for bringing in badly wanted criminals are printed on 'dead or alive' posters.
- 3
one's place in heaven; God's judgment in the afterlife; death
- 4
The result of an action, whether good or bad.
Is this the reward I get for telling the truth: to be put in jail?
verb
- 1
To give a reward to or for.
Why are you rewarding the child for misbehaving?
- 2
To be a recompense for.
Decorations are meant to reward the most meritous acts and services.
- 3
obsoleteTo give (something) as a reward.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Reward in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | récompense, salaire , récompenser |
| German | Belohnung, Lohn , belohnen |
| Portuguese | recompensa , recompensar |
| Spanish | recompensa , recompensar |
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 reward come from?
From Middle English reward, rewarde, from Old French reward (“reward”) (compare Old French regard, whence modern French regard, and also English regard through Middle French), from rewarder (“to reward”) (compare Old French reguarder), from re- + warder (“to guard, keep”) (compare Old French guarder); the Anglo-Norman forms are derived from Old Northern French variants of Old French, ultimately of Germanic (Frankish) origin. Compare regard, warden, guard. See more below. Mostly displaced Old English mēd, whence Modern English meed. Displaced Old English lēan and edlēan.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).