actuary
/ˈæktʃuˌɛɹi/noun
actuary is spelled A-C-T-U-A-R-Y: 7 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, actuary means “Registrar, clerk” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of actuary is actuaries.
How many letters and syllables are in actuary?
| Letters | 7: A-C-T-U-A-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 52,954th 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 actuary?
Actuary appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 52,954th 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 actuary?
- US /ˈæktʃuˌɛɹi/
- UK /ˈæktjʊəɹi/
- UK /ˈæktʃʊəɹi/
Actuary 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-actuary.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of actuary
- actuaries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does actuary mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
datedRegistrar, clerk.
- 2
A professional who calculates financial values associated with uncertain events subject to risk, such as insurance premiums or pension contributions.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate actuary?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of actuary: act..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Actuary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense maker of insurance calculations:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | actuaire |
| German | Versicherungsfachmann, Versicherungsmathematiker, Aktuar |
| Portuguese | atuário |
| Spanish | actuario |
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 actuary come from?
From Latin āctuārius (“copyist, account-keeper”), from āctus (“public business”); see actuarius.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).