amen
/(ˌ)ɑːˈmɛn/interjection, adverb, noun, verb
amen is spelled A-M-E-N: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 8.5 times per million words in written English, the 7,910th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, amen means “At the end of a religious prayer: so be it” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in amen?
| Letters | 4: A-M-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 8.5 times per million words; the 7,910th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| 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 amen?
Amen appears 8.5 times per million words in written English, the 7,910th 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 amen?
- UK /(ˌ)ɑːˈmɛn/
- UK /(ˌ)eɪˈmɛn/
- US /(ˌ)ɑːˈmɛn/
Amen has 2 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-amen.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-amen2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-amen.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with amen?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as amen from its last stressed vowel (/ɛn/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: name, mean, mane.
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 amen
- amens plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- amening participle, present
- amened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does amen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
At the end of a religious prayer: so be it.
- 2
colloquialUsed to indicate emphatic agreement.
adverb
- 1
Certainly; verily.
noun
- 1
An instance of saying ‘amen’.
verb
- 1
To say amen.
- 2
To say amen to; to ratify solemnly.
interjection
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of amen (“so be it; may it be done”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Amen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 amen come from?
Inherited from Middle English amen, from Old English āmen, from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, from Ancient Greek ἀμήν (amḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn, “certainly, verily”) (cognate with Arabic آمِينَ (ʔāmīna), Classical Syriac ܐܡܝܢ (ʾāmên)). In Old English, it was used only at the end of the Gospels; elsewhere, it was translated as sōþlīċe! (“truly, indeed!”), swā hit is (“so it is”), and sīe! (“[so] be it!”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).