ancestry
/ˈæn.sɛs.tɹi/noun
ancestry is spelled A-N-C-E-S-T-R-Y: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, ancestry means “The state of being ancestors” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ancestry is ancestries.
How many letters and syllables are in ancestry?
| Letters | 8: A-N-C-E-S-T-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th 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 ancestry?
Ancestry appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th 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 ancestry?
- US /ˈæn.sɛs.tɹi/
Ancestry 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ancestry.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ancestry
- ancestries plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ancestry mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being ancestors.
- 2
Birth to a noble or high-ranking family, or to someone of honorable descent.
- 3
A series of ancestors; the people from whom one is descended.
I can trace my ancestry back to the 18th century.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ancestry in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ascendance |
| German | Vorfahren , Vorväter, Ahnen |
| Portuguese | ascendência |
| Spanish | ancestría, ascendencia |
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 ancestry come from?
From Middle English auncestrie, from Old French ancesserie. See ancestor.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).