arcane
/ɑɹˈkeɪn/adjective
arcane is spelled A-R-C-A-N-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, arcane means “Understood by only a few” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in arcane?
| Letters | 6: A-R-C-A-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th 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 arcane?
Arcane appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th 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 arcane?
- US /ɑɹˈkeɪn/
Arcane 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-arcane.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with arcane?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as arcane from its last stressed vowel (/eɪn/):
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 arcane
- more arcane comparative
- most arcane superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does arcane mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Understood by only a few.
arcane rituals
- 2
Obscure, mysterious.
arcane origins
- 3
Requiring secret or mysterious knowledge to understand.
A “signature” was placed on all things by God to indicate their affinities – but it was hidden, hence the search for arcane knowledge. Knowing was guessing and interpreting, not observing or demonstrating.
- 4
Extremely old (e.g. interpretation or knowledge), and possibly irrelevant.
an arcane law
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Arcane in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense understood by only a few; obscure:
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 arcane come from?
Borrowed from Latin arcānus (“hidden, secret”), from arceō (“to shut up, enclose”); cognate with Latin arca (“a chest”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).