altogether
/ɔːl.tʊˈɡɛð.ə(ɹ)/adverb, noun
altogether is spelled A-L-T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,347th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, altogether means “Completely, wholly, or without exception” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in altogether?
| Letters | 10: A-L-T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,347th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is altogether?
Altogether appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,347th 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 altogether?
- UK /ɔːl.tʊˈɡɛð.ə(ɹ)/
- UK /ɔː.tuːˈɡɛð.ə(ɹ)/
- UK /ɔːl.təˈɡɛð.ə/
Altogether 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: En-us-altogether.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with altogether?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as altogether from its last stressed vowel (/ɛðə/, British pronunciation):
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 altogether
- altogethers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does altogether mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Completely, wholly, or without exception.
Police did not seem altogether satisfied with my alibi.
- 2
On the whole; with everything considered.
Altogether, I'm sorry it happened.
- 3
With everything included.
Altogether, your bill comes to $6.99.
- 4
informalAn intensifier: without doubt, clearly.
It was a great game altogether.
noun
- 1
colloquialdatedA state of nakedness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Altogether in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | complètement , en même temps, quoi qu'il en soit |
| German | ganz und gar, ohne Ausnahme, ausnahmslos, insgesamt, gänzlich , alles in allem |
| Portuguese | completamente , ao todo |
| Spanish | por completo, del todo , en suma , todo junto |
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 altogether come from?
From Middle English altogeder, altogedere, equivalent to al- (“all”) + together. Cognate with Scots awthegither (“altogether”), Middle High German alzegater (“altogether”), Dutch altegaar. Compare also Old English ealġeador, eallġeador (“altogether”), West Frisian allegearre (“altogether”). More at together. The noun sense (nakedness): was popularized in George du Maurier's 1894 novel Trilby.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).