absurdity
/æbˈsɝd.ɪ.ti/noun
absurdity is spelled A-B-S-U-R-D-I-T-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, absurdity means “That which is absurd; an absurd action; a logical contradiction” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of absurdity is absurdities.
How many letters and syllables are in absurdity?
| Letters | 9: A-B-S-U-R-D-I-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,073rd 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 absurdity?
Absurdity appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd 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 absurdity?
- UK /əbˈsɜːd.ɪ.ti/
- US /æbˈsɝd.ɪ.ti/
- US /æbˈzɝd.ɪ.ti/
Absurdity 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-absurdity.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of absurdity
- absurdities plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does absurdity mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
That which is absurd; an absurd action; a logical contradiction.
- 2
The quality of being absurd or inconsistent with obvious truth, reason, or sound judgment.
- 3
obsoleterareDissonance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Absurdity in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense that which is absurd, absurd action:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Absurdität |
| Portuguese | absurdo, absurdidade |
| Spanish | absurdo, absurdidad |
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 absurdity come from?
First attested around 1472. From Middle English absurdite, then from either Middle French absurdité, or from Late Latin absurditas (“dissonance, incongruity”), from Latin absurdus + -itas (“quality, state, degree”). Equivalent to absurd + -ity.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).