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arbitrary

/ˈɑɹ.bɪˌtɹɛɹ.i/adjective, noun

arbitrary is spelled A-R-B-I-T-R-A-R-Y. The wrong spelling people search most is abitrary: about 40 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 217 of all searches for the word. Arbitrary is an adjective meaning “Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at…”.

How many letters and syllables are in arbitrary?

Letters9: A-R-B-I-T-R-A-R-Y
Syllables4 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing7.1 times per million words; the 8,918th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searched2; the most searched, abitrary, about 40 Bing searches a month (all of them)

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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).

How do you spell arbitrary?

Arbitrary is spelled A-R-B-I-T-R-A-R-Y. 2 wrong spellings are searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 125 of the searches for arbitrary in either form.

arbitrarythe right spelling8,680 searches a month
abitrarya missing r40 searches a month
abritraryr and b swapped30 searches a month

Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.

How common is arbitrary?

Arbitrary appears 7.1 times per million words in written English, the 8,918th 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 arbitrary?

  • UK /ˈɑː.bɪ.tɹə.ɹi/
  • UK /ˈɑː.bɪ.tɹi/
  • US /ˈɑɹ.bɪˌtɹɛɹ.i/

Arbitrary has 4 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-arbitrary.ogg, En-au-arbitrary.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of arbitrary

  • more arbitrary comparative
  • most arbitrary superlative
  • arbitraries plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does arbitrary mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Based on individual discretion or judgment; not based on any objective distinction, perhaps even made at random.

    Benjamin Franklin's designation of "positive" and "negative" to different charges was arbitrary.

  2. 2

    Determined by impulse rather than reason; often connoting heavy-handedness.

  3. 3

    Any, out of all that are possible.

    The equation is true for an arbitrary value of x.

  4. 4

    Determined by independent arbiter.

  5. 5

    Not representative or symbolic; not iconic.

noun

  1. 1

    Anything arbitrary, such as an arithmetical value or a fee.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Arbitrary in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frencharbitraire (based on individual discretion or judgment), quelconque (mathematics: any out of all possible)
Germanwillkürlich, nach Ermessen, in freiem Ermessen, frei, Ermessens-, arbiträr (based on individual discretion or judgment)
Portuguesearbitrário, arbitrária (based on individual discretion or judgment)
Spanisharbitrario (based on individual discretion or judgment)

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 arbitrary come from?

From Middle English arbitrarie, Latin arbitrārius (“arbitrary, uncertain”), from arbiter (“witness, on-looker, listener, judge, overseer”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after arbitrary