subsume
/səbˈsuːm/verb
subsume is spelled S-U-B-S-U-M-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, subsume means “To place (any one cognition) under another as belonging to it; to include or contain something else” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in subsume?
| Letters | 7: S-U-B-S-U-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 98,107th 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; 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 subsume?
Subsume appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th 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 subsume?
- UK /səbˈsjuːm/
- US /səbˈsuːm/
Subsume has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-subsume.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with subsume?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as subsume from its last stressed vowel (/um/):
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 subsume
- subsumes present, singular, he/she/it
- subsuming participle, present
- subsumed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does subsume mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To place (any one cognition) under another as belonging to it; to include or contain something else.
Near-synonym: comprise
- 2
To consider an occurrence as part of a principle or rule.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Subsume in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | subsumer, impliquer , généraliser, rejoindre, colliger |
| German | einordnen, fassen, klassifizieren, subsumieren, zusammenfassen , verbinden |
| Portuguese | classificar, incluir, subordinar |
| Spanish | subsumir |
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 subsume come from?
Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin subsūmere, from sub- + sūmō (“to take”). Compare English consume.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).