subserve
/səbˈsɚv/verb
subserve is spelled S-U-B-S-E-R-V-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 59 million words in written English, the 240,237th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, subserve means “To be subservient to” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in subserve?
| Letters | 8: S-U-B-S-E-R-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 59 million words; the 240,237th 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; 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 subserve?
Subserve appears about once in every 59 million words in written English, the 240,237th 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 subserve?
- UK /səbˈsɜːv/
- US /səbˈsɚv/
Subserve has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with subserve?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as subserve from its last stressed vowel (/əɹv/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: subverse.
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 subserve
- subserves present, singular, he/she/it
- subserving participle, present
- subserved participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does subserve mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To be subservient to.
- 2
To serve to promote (an end); to be useful to.
- 3
To assist in carrying out.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does subserve come from?
Borrowed from Latin subservire; by surface analysis, sub- + serve.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).