surpass
/sɚˈpæs/verb
surpass is spelled S-U-R-P-A-S-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, surpass means “To go beyond or exceed (something) in an adjudicative or literal sense” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in surpass?
| Letters | 7: S-U-R-P-A-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 surpass?
Surpass appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th 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 surpass?
- UK /səˈpɑːs/
- US /sɚˈpæs/
Surpass 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-surpass.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with surpass?
10 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as surpass from its last stressed vowel (/æs/):
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 surpass
- surpasses present, singular, he/she/it
- surpassing participle, present
- surpassed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does surpass mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To go beyond or exceed (something) in an adjudicative or literal sense.
The former problem student surpassed his instructor's expectations and scored top marks on his examination.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Surpass in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to exceed:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | surpasser, dépasser, excéder |
| German | übersteigen, übertreffen, überschreiten, überbieten, überwinden |
| Portuguese | ultrapassar, superar, suplantar, sobrepassar |
| Spanish | sobrepasar, superar |
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 surpass come from?
From Middle French surpasser (“to pass beyond”). By surface analysis, sur- + pass. Displaced native Old English oferstīgan (literally “to climb over”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).