applause
/əˈplɔːz/noun
applause is spelled A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 6.8 times per million words in written English, the 9,165th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, applause means “The act of applauding; approbation and praise publicly expressed by the clapping of hands, stamping or tapping of the feet, acclamation, huzzas, or…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of applause is applauses.
How many letters and syllables are in applause?
| Letters | 8: A-P-P-L-A-U-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.8 times per million words; the 9,165th 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 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 applause?
Applause appears 6.8 times per million words in written English, the 9,165th 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 applause?
- UK /əˈplɔːz/
- British /əˈploːz/
- /əˈplɔz/
Applause 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: En-us-applause.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with applause?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as applause from its last stressed vowel (/ɔz/, 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 applause
- applauses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- applausing participle, present
- applaused participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does applause mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of applauding; approbation and praise publicly expressed by the clapping of hands, stamping or tapping of the feet, acclamation, huzzas, or other means; marked commendation.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo applaud.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Applause in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense act of applauding:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | applaudissement, acclamation |
| German | Applaus, Beifall |
| Portuguese | aplauso |
| Spanish | aplauso, plauso, aplausos, palmas |
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 applause come from?
From Latin applausus, from applaudō (“to strike against, to applaud”) (whence applaud).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).