afflict
af·flict/əˈflɪkt/verb
afflict is spelled A-F-F-L-I-C-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables (af·flict). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 57,423rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, afflict means “To cause (someone) pain, suffering or distress” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in afflict?
| Letters | 7: A-F-F-L-I-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: af·flict |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 57,423rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is afflict?
Afflict appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 57,423rd 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 afflict?
- /əˈflɪkt/
Afflict has 2 syllables, split af·flict in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-afflict.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of afflict
- afflicts present, singular, he/she/it
- afflicting participle, present
- afflicted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does afflict mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To cause (someone) pain, suffering or distress.
- 2
obsoleteTo strike or cast down; to overthrow; to result.
- 3
obsoleteTo make low or humble.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Afflict in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to cause pain to:
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 afflict come from?
From Middle English afflicten (attested in past participle afflicte), from Latin afflīctō (“to damage, harass, torment”), from ad- + flīctus, past participle of afflīgō (“strike, beat”), from ad- + flīgō (“strike”) (whence af-).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).