vow
/vaʊ/noun, verb
vow is spelled V-O-W: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, vow means “A solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner, especially a promise to live and act in accordance with the rules of a…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of vow is vows.
How many letters and syllables are in vow?
| Letters | 3: V-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.6 times per million words; the 13,695th 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 vow?
Vow appears 3.6 times per million words in written English, the 13,695th 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 vow?
- /vaʊ/
Vow has one syllable (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-vow.wav, En-us-vow.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of vow
- vows plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- vowing participle, present
- vowed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does vow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner, especially a promise to live and act in accordance with the rules of a religious order.
The old hermit, up in the mountains, took a vow of silence.
- 2
A declaration or assertion.
- 3
obsoleteA votive offering.
verb
- 1
To make a vow; to promise.
- 2
To make a vow regarding (something).
The wronged woman vowed revenge.
- 3
To declare publicly that one has made a vow, usually to show one's determination or to announce an act of retaliation.
The rebels vowed to continue their fight.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Vow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | voeu, vœu , jurer |
| German | Gelübde, Schwur, Eid, Gelöbnis , schwören, geloben |
| Portuguese | bodo, voto |
| Spanish | voto, manda, promesa , devodar |
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 vow come from?
Inherited from Middle English vowe, voue, that from Old French vut, in turn from Latin vōtum (“a promise, dedication, vow”), from vovēre (“to promise, vow”). Not related to avow. Doublet of vote.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).