subsist
/səbˈsɪst/verb
subsist is spelled S-U-B-S-I-S-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, subsist means “To survive on a minimum of resources” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in subsist?
| Letters | 7: S-U-B-S-I-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,949th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is subsist?
Subsist appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th 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 subsist?
- /səbˈsɪst/
Subsist 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)-Vealhurl-subsist.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of subsist
- subsists present, singular, he/she/it
- subsisting participle, present
- subsisted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does subsist mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To survive on a minimum of resources.
- 2
To have ontological reality; to exist.
- 3
To retain a certain state; to continue.
- 4
obsoleteTo supply sustenance or subsistence to or for.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Subsist in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to survive:
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 subsist come from?
From Latin subsistō (“halt, stop”), from sub (“below”) + sistō (“stand, place”). Compare consist, desist, exist, insist, persist.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).