superintend
su·per·in·tend/ˌsuːpəɹɪnˈtɛnd/verb
superintend is spelled S-U-P-E-R-I-N-T-E-N-D: 11 letters and 4 syllables (su·per·in·tend). It appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 125,655th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, superintend means “To oversee the work of others; to supervise” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in superintend?
| Letters | 11: S-U-P-E-R-I-N-T-E-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: su·per·in·tend |
| In writing | about once in every 17 million words; the 125,655th 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 superintend?
Superintend appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 125,655th 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 superintend?
- /ˌsuːpəɹɪnˈtɛnd/
Superintend has 4 syllables, split su·per·in·tend in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of superintend
- superintends present, singular, he/she/it
- superintending participle, present
- superintended participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does superintend mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To oversee the work of others; to supervise.
- 2
To administer the affairs of something or someone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Superintend in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to oversee the work of others:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | surveiller, diriger |
| German | aufsehen |
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 superintend come from?
Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin superintendō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).