tantalize
/ˈtæntəlaɪz/verb
tantalize is spelled T-A-N-T-A-L-I-Z-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 124,184th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, tantalize means “To tease (someone) by offering or showing them something desirable but leaving them unsatisfied” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tantalize?
| Letters | 9: T-A-N-T-A-L-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 17 million words; the 124,184th 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 tantalize?
Tantalize appears about once in every 17 million words in written English, the 124,184th 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 tantalize?
- /ˈtæntəlaɪz/
Tantalize has 3 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: En-us-tantalize.ogg, En-au-tantalize.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tantalize
- tantalizes present, singular, he/she/it
- tantalizing participle, present
- tantalized participle, past
- tantalise
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tantalize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To tease (someone) by offering or showing them something desirable but leaving them unsatisfied.
- 2
obsoleteTo be teased by something desirable that is kept out of reach.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tantalize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to tease someone by offering something desirable but leaving them unsatisfied:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tantaliser |
| Spanish | tantalizar |
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 tantalize come from?
From Tantalus (Ancient Greek Τάνταλος (Tántalos)) in Greek mythology, who was condemned to Tartarus in the underworld. There, he had to stand for eternity in water that receded from him when he stooped to drink, beneath fruit trees whose branches were always out of reach. Derived as Tantalus + -ize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).