apportion
/əˈpɔɹʃən/verb
apportion is spelled A-P-P-O-R-T-I-O-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,980th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, apportion means “To divide and distribute portions of a whole” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in apportion?
| Letters | 9: A-P-P-O-R-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 74,980th 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 apportion?
Apportion appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,980th 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 apportion?
- UK /əˈpɔːʃən/
- US /əˈpɔɹʃən/
Apportion 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-apportion.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with apportion?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as apportion from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹʃən/):
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 apportion
- apportions present, singular, he/she/it
- apportioning participle, present
- apportioned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does apportion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To divide and distribute portions of a whole.
The controlling party had apportioned the voting districts such that their party would be favored in the next election.
- 2
Specifically, to do so in a fair and equitable manner; to allocate proportionally.
The children were required to dump all of their Halloween candy on the table so that their parents could apportion it among them.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Apportion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | partager, répartir |
| German | aufteilen , proportional aufteilen |
| Portuguese | repartir |
| Spanish | distribuir, repartir |
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 apportion come from?
From Middle French apportionner, from Old French aporcioner, from Late Latin apportionare, from Latin ad + portio. By surface analysis, ap- + portion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).