agony
ag·o·ni/ˈæɡ.ə.ni/noun
agony is spelled A-G-O-N-Y: 5 letters and 3 syllables (ag·o·ni). It appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, agony means “Extreme pain or anguish” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of agony is agonies.
How many letters and syllables are in agony?
| Letters | 5: A-G-O-N-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ag·o·ni |
| In writing | 4.0 times per million words; the 12,940th 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 agony?
Agony appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th 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 agony?
- US /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/
- /ˈeɪ̯ɡ.ə.ni/
Agony has 3 syllables, split ag·o·ni in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-agony.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of agony
- agonies plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does agony mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Extreme pain or anguish.
When the weight fell on her foot, she cried out in agony.
- 2
The sufferings of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (often capitalized).
- 3
datedViolent contest or striving.
- 4
datedParoxysm of joy; keen emotion.
- 5
The last struggle of life; death struggle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Agony in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | agonie, angoisse |
| German | Agonie, Qual, Pein , Todeskampf , Freudenausbruch |
| Portuguese | agonia |
| Spanish | agonía, angustia |
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 agony come from?
14th century, via Old French and Latin from Ancient Greek ἀγωνία (agōnía, “emulation, competition, struggle”), from ἀγών (agṓn, “contest”). Specifically of the struggle that precedes death (mortal agony) from the 1540s. By surface analysis, agon + -y. The sense of "extreme pain" from c. 1600.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).