Surprising

How to spell surprising

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce surprising

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does surprising mean?

1. adjectiveCausing astonishment or wonder because it is unexpected.

Surprising in a sentence

• The final bill was surprising given how cheap the menu looked.

• It was surprising how quickly the new staff settled into the office.

Where does surprising come from?

Language of origin: French

This word traces back to the Old French surprendre, which literally meant 'to overtake' or 'to seize suddenly', formed from sur- 'over, upon' and prendre 'to take', itself from the Latin prehendere 'to grasp or seize'. The earliest English sense, recorded in the 1400s, was military: to surprise an enemy was to catch them off guard, to overtake them before they could prepare. From that idea of being caught unawares grew the modern emotional sense of astonishment, and the adjective 'surprising' for anything that produces that effect. The very same prehendere root sits inside everyday relatives like 'comprehend', 'apprehend', and 'prison'. The notorious spelling trap is the first 'r': because the opening syllable is pronounced quickly and the r is barely sounded, many fluent writers drop it and produce 'suprising', so remembering the 'sur-' prefix is the key.

How the word is built

• sur- (over, upon)
• prise (from French prendre: to seize, take)
• -ing (adjective/present-participle suffix)