undertaking
/ˈʌndə(ɹ)ˌteɪkɪŋ/noun, verb
undertaking is spelled U-N-D-E-R-T-A-K-I-N-G: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, undertaking means “The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of undertaking is undertakings.
How many letters and syllables are in undertaking?
| Letters | 11: U-N-D-E-R-T-A-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.2 times per million words; the 10,843rd 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 undertaking?
Undertaking appears 5.2 times per million words in written English, the 10,843rd 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 undertaking?
- /ˈʌndə(ɹ)ˌteɪkɪŋ/
Undertaking has 4 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-undertaking.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of undertaking
- undertakings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does undertaking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The business of an undertaker, or the management of funerals.
- 2
A promise or pledge; a guarantee.
- 3
That which is undertaken; any business, work, or project which a person engages in, or attempts to perform; an enterprise.
- 4
The act of one who undertakes (in either sense).
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of undertake
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Undertaking in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | funeraria , emprendimiento, destajo |
| French | entreprise |
| German | Unternehmen |
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 undertaking come from?
By surface analysis, undertake + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).