anxiety
an·xi·e·ty/æŋˈzaɪ.əti/noun
anxiety is spelled A-N-X-I-E-T-Y: 7 letters and 4 syllables (an·xi·e·ty). It appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,288th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, anxiety means “An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of anxiety is anxieties.
How many letters and syllables are in anxiety?
| Letters | 7: A-N-X-I-E-T-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: an·xi·e·ty |
| In writing | 28 times per million words; the 3,288th 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; 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 anxiety?
Anxiety appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,288th 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 anxiety?
- UK /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/
- British /aŋˈzɑjətɪj/
- Australia /æːŋˈzɑe.əti/
Anxiety has 4 syllables, split an·xi·e·ty in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-anxiety.wav, En-us-anxiety.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with anxiety?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as anxiety from its last stressed vowel (/aɪəti/, 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 anxiety
- anxieties plural
- anxietie
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does anxiety mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event.
generalized anxiety disorder
- 2
An uneasy or distressing desire (for something). Endeavor (to please).
- 3
A state of restlessness and agitation, often accompanied by a distressing sense of oppression or tightness in the stomach.
- 4
informalAny anxiety disorder, especially generalized anxiety disorder.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Anxiety in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Unbehagen, Nervosität, Angst, Ängstlichkeit, Anspannung, Unruhe |
| French | anxiété, inquiétude , angoisse |
| Portuguese | angústia, ansiedade , anseio |
| Spanish | zozobra, ansiedad , inquietud |
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 anxiety come from?
Borrowed from Latin ānxietās, from ānxius (“anxious, solicitous, distressed, troubled”), from angō (“to distress, trouble”), akin to Ancient Greek ἄγχω (ánkhō, “to choke”). Equivalent to anxious + -ety. See anger; angst.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).