teach
/ˈtiːt͡ʃ/verb, noun
teach is spelled T-E-A-C-H: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 47 times per million words in written English, the 2,153rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, teach means “To pass on knowledge to” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in teach?
| Letters | 5: T-E-A-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 47 times per million words; the 2,153rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 teach?
Teach appears 47 times per million words in written English, the 2,153rd 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 teach?
- /ˈtiːt͡ʃ/
- [ˈtʰɪi̯t͡ʃ]
Teach has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-teach.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-teach.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with teach
Also written: those who can't, teach.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with teach?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as teach.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cheat, tache, theca.
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 teach
- teaches present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- teaching participle, present
- taught participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does teach mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To pass on knowledge to.
Can you teach me to sew? Can you teach sewing to me?
- 2
To pass on knowledge generally, especially as one's profession; to act as a teacher.
She used to teach at university.
- 3
To cause (someone) to learn or understand (something).
- 4
To cause to know the disagreeable consequences of some action.
I'll teach you to make fun of me!
- 5
obsoleteTo show (someone) the way; to guide, conduct; to point, indicate.
‘The bliss is there’, mumbled the old man and taught to Heaven.
noun
- 1
informalteacher
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Teach in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | apprendre, enseigner , guider |
| German | lehren, beibringen, unterrichten |
| Portuguese | ensinar , dar aula, lecionar |
| Spanish | enseñar |
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 teach come from?
From Middle English techen, from Old English tǣċan (“to show, declare, demonstrate; teach, instruct, train; assign, prescribe, direct; warn; persuade”), from Proto-West Germanic *taikijan, from Proto-Germanic *taikijaną (“to show”), from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).