action
ac·tion/ˈækʃən̩/noun, interjection, adjective, verb
action is spelled A-C-T-I-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (ac·tion). It appears 178 times per million words in written English, the 565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, action means “The effort of performing or doing something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of action is actions.
How many letters and syllables are in action?
| Letters | 6: A-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ac·tion |
| In writing | 178 times per million words; the 565th 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 action?
Action appears 178 times per million words in written English, the 565th 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 action?
- UK /ˈækʃən̩/
- UK [ˈækʃn̩]
- British /ˈakʃən̩/
Action has 2 syllables, split ac·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-action.wav, En-us-action.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with action?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as action (/ækʃən/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cation, atonic.
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 action
- actions plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- action!
- more action comparative
- most action superlative
- actioning participle, present
- actioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does action mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The effort of performing or doing something.
- 2
Something done, often so as to accomplish a purpose.
- 3
A way of motion or functioning.
Knead bread with a rocking action.
- 4
Fast-paced activity.
a movie full of exciting action
- 5
The way in which a mechanical device acts when used; especially a firearm.
Pressing a piano key causes the action of the hammer on the string.
- 6
The way in which cartridges are loaded, locked, and extracted from the mechanism.
pump-action shotgun
- 7
A physical mechanism of a firearm or other device.
- 8
The mechanism, that is the set of moving mechanical parts, of a keyboard instrument, like a piano, which transfers the motion of the key to the sound-making device.
The run in bar 12 is almost impossible with this piano's heavy action.
interjection
- 1
Demanding or signifying the start of something, usually a performance.
The director yelled ‘Action!’ after the cameras started rolling.
adjective
- 1
arrogant
verb
- 1
To act on a request etc, in order to put it into effect.
- 2
archaicTo initiate a legal action against someone.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Action in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | acción , acción judicial |
| French | action en justice, action légale , action |
| German | Handlung, Aktion , Bewegung, Funktion , Action , Kampf |
| Portuguese | ação |
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 action come from?
From Middle English accioun, accion, from Old French aucion, acciun, from Latin āctiō(n) (“act of doing or making”), from āct(us) + action suffix -iō(n), perfect passive participle of agere (“do, act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti. See also act, active.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).