severe
/sɪˈvɪɹ/adjective
severe is spelled S-E-V-E-R-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, severe means “Very bad or intense” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in severe?
| Letters | 6: S-E-V-E-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 36 times per million words; the 2,669th 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 severe?
Severe appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th 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 severe?
- UK /sɪˈvɪə/
- US /sɪˈvɪɹ/
- Canada /sɪˈviːɹ/
Severe 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)-Back_ache-severe.wav, En-us-severe.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with severe?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as severe from its last stressed vowel (/ɪɹ/):
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 severe
- severer comparative
- more severe comparative
- severest superlative
- most severe superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does severe mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Very bad or intense.
- 2
Strict or harsh.
a severe taskmaster
- 3
Sober, plain in appearance, austere.
a severe old maiden aunt
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Severe in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | grave, sévère |
| Portuguese | severo , duro, rígido , austero |
| Spanish | severo, grave , austero |
| German | streng |
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 severe come from?
From Middle French, from Latin severus (“severe, serious, grave in demeanor”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).