sustain
sus·tain/səˈsteɪn/verb, noun
sustain is spelled S-U-S-T-A-I-N: 7 letters and 2 syllables (sus·tain). It appears 8.5 times per million words in written English, the 7,910th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, sustain means “To maintain, or keep in existence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sustain?
| Letters | 7: S-U-S-T-A-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sus·tain |
| In writing | 8.5 times per million words; the 7,910th 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 sustain?
Sustain appears 8.5 times per million words in written English, the 7,910th 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 sustain?
- US /səˈsteɪn/
- Australia /səˈstæɪn/
Sustain has 2 syllables, split sus·tain in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-sustain.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sustain?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sustain from its last stressed vowel (/eɪn/):
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 sustain
- sustains present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- sustaining participle, present
- sustained participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sustain mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To maintain, or keep in existence.
The professor had trouble sustaining students’ interest until the end of her lectures.
- 2
To provide for or nourish.
provisions to sustain an army
- 3
To encourage or sanction (something).
- 4
To experience or suffer (an injury, etc.).
The building sustained major damage in the earthquake.
- 5
To confirm, prove, or corroborate; to uphold.
to sustain a charge, an accusation, or a proposition
- 6
To allow, accept, or admit (e.g. an objection or motion) as valid.
- 7
To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support.
A foundation sustains the superstructure; an animal sustains a load; a rope sustains a weight.
- 8
To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.
noun
- 1
A mechanism which can be used to hold a note, as the right pedal on a piano.
- 2
Clipping of sustainability.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sustain in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | maintenir , subvenir |
| German | unterhalten, aufrechterhalten, beibehalten , versorgen , zuziehen |
| Portuguese | suster , sustentar |
| Spanish | sostener, sustentar |
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 sustain come from?
From Middle English susteinen, sustenen, from Old French sustenir (French soutenir), from Latin sustineō, sustinēre (“to uphold”), from sub- (“from below, up”) + teneō (“hold”, verb).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).