amok
/əˈmɒk/adverb, noun, verb
amok is spelled A-M-O-K: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adverb, amok means “Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in amok?
| Letters | 4: A-M-O-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th 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 amok?
Amok appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th 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 amok?
- /əˈmɒk/
- /əˈmʌk/
- /əˈmɒk/
Amok 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-amok.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-amok2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-amok.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with amok?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as amok.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mako, moka.
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 amok
- more amok comparative
- most amok superlative
- amuck
- amock
- amoks plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- amoking participle, present
- amoked participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does amok mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adverb
- 1
Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.
- 2
In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk.
noun
- 1
One who runs amok; in Malay and Moro/Philippine culture, one who attempts to kill many others, especially expecting that they will be killed themselves.
- 2
The act of running amok.
- 3
A kind of Southeast Asian curry steamed in banana leaves native to Cambodia.
verb
- 1
Synonym of run amok.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Amok in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense in a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Amok |
| Portuguese | amouco |
| Spanish | desenfrenado |
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 amok come from?
Borrowed from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”). The term first appeared in English around the 16th century, associated with the people of Malaysia and Java, first described in the 1516 text The Book of Duarte Barbosa, which was translated to English by Henry E. J. Stanley.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).