algebra
/ˈæl.d͡ʒɪ.bɹə/noun
algebra is spelled A-L-G-E-B-R-A: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 5.9 times per million words in written English, the 10,028th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, algebra means “Elementary algebra: A system for representing and manipulating unknown quantities (variables) in equations” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of algebra is algebras or σ-algebras.
How many letters and syllables are in algebra?
| Letters | 7: A-L-G-E-B-R-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.9 times per million words; the 10,028th 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 algebra?
Algebra appears 5.9 times per million words in written English, the 10,028th 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 algebra?
- UK /ˈæl.dʒɪ.bɹə/
- US /ˈæl.d͡ʒɪ.bɹə/
- US /ˈæl.d͡ʒə.bɹə/
Algebra has 3 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: En-us-algebra.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of algebra
- algebras plural
- σ-algebras plural
- sigma-algebra
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does algebra mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Elementary algebra: A system for representing and manipulating unknown quantities (variables) in equations.
- 2
Abstract algebra: A broad field of study in modern mathematics (often mentioned alongside analysis) loosely characterized by its concern for abstraction and symmetry, dealing with the behavior, classification, and application of a large class of objects (called algebraic structures) and the maps between them (called, most generally, morphisms).
- 3
A universal algebra.
- 4
An algebraic structure consisting of a module over a commutative ring (or a vector space over a field) along with an additional binary operation that is bilinear over module (or vector) addition and scalar multiplication.
- 5
A collection of subsets of a given set, such that this collection contains the empty set, and the collection is closed under unions and complements (and thereby also under intersections and differences).
- 6
A system or process (especially one that is complex or convoluted) that substitutes one thing for another, or uses signs or symbols to represent concepts or ideas.
- 7
rareThe surgical treatment of a dislocated or fractured bone. Also (countable): a dislocation or fracture.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Algebra in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | algèbre , tribu, σ-algèbre |
| German | Algebra , σ-Algebra |
| Portuguese | álgebra |
| Spanish | álgebra |
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 algebra come from?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin algebra, from the Arabic الْجَبْر (al-jabr, “reunion, resetting of broken parts”) in the title of al-Khwarizmi's influential work الْكِتَاب الْمُخْتَصَر فِي حِسَاب الْجَبْر وَالْمُقَابَلَة (al-kitāb al-muḵtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala, “The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).