acerbic
a·cer·bic/əˈsərbɪk/adjective
acerbic is spelled A-C-E-R-B-I-C: 7 letters and 3 syllables (a·cer·bic). It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,913th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, acerbic means “Tasting sour or bitter” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in acerbic?
| Letters | 7: A-C-E-R-B-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: a·cer·bic |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 65,913th 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 acerbic?
Acerbic appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 65,913th 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 acerbic?
- UK /əˈsɜː(ɹ)bɪk/
- US /əˈsərbɪk/
Acerbic has 3 syllables, split a·cer·bic in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-acerbic.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with acerbic?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as acerbic (/əɹbɪk/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: breccia.
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 acerbic
- more acerbic comparative
- most acerbic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does acerbic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Tasting sour or bitter.
- 2
Sharp, harsh, biting.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Acerbic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 acerbic come from?
Attested since the 17th century, from Latin acerbus (“sour, bitter”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).