suborn
sub·orn/səˈbɔːn/verb
suborn is spelled S-U-B-O-R-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (sub·orn). It appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 171,907th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, suborn means “To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in suborn?
| Letters | 6: S-U-B-O-R-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sub·orn |
| In writing | about once in every 32 million words; the 171,907th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is suborn?
Suborn appears about once in every 32 million words in written English, the 171,907th 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 suborn?
- /səˈbɔːn/
- /səˈboɹn/
Suborn has 2 syllables, split sub·orn in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-suborn.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of suborn
- suborns present, singular, he/she/it
- suborning participle, present
- suborned participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does suborn mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To induce (someone) to commit an unlawful or malicious act, especially in a corrupt manner.
- 2
To induce (someone, such as a witness) to commit perjury, for example by making a false accusation or giving false evidence.
- 3
To achieve (some result; specifically, perjury) in a corrupt manner.
- 4
archaicTo procure or provide (something) secretly and often in a dishonest manner.
- 5
archaicTo make use of (something), especially for corrupt or dishonest reasons.
- 6
obsoleteTo aid, assist, or support (something).
- 7
obsoleteTo furnish or provide (something).
- 8
obsoleteTo substitute (a thing) for something else, especially secretly and often in a dishonest manner.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).