altruism
/ˈæl.tɹu.ɪz.əm/noun
altruism is spelled A-L-T-R-U-I-S-M: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,168th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, altruism means “Regard for others, both natural and moral without regard for oneself; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of altruism is altruisms.
How many letters and syllables are in altruism?
| Letters | 8: A-L-T-R-U-I-S-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,168th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 altruism?
Altruism appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,168th 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 altruism?
- /ˈæl.tɹu.ɪz.əm/
Altruism 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-altruism.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with altruism?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as altruism.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: muralist.
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 altruism
- altruisms plural
- altruïsm
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does altruism mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Regard for others, both natural and moral without regard for oneself; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness.
- 2
Action or behaviour that benefits another or others at some cost to the performer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Altruism in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense policy that benefits others' interests:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | altruisme |
| German | Altruismus, Selbstlosigkeit, Uneigennützigkeit |
| Portuguese | altruísmo |
| Spanish | altruismo |
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.