archenemy
/ˌɑː(ɹ)t͡ʃˈɛn.ə.mi/noun
archenemy is spelled A-R-C-H-E-N-E-M-Y: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 79,518th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, archenemy means “A principal enemy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of archenemy is archenemies.
How many letters and syllables are in archenemy?
| Letters | 9: A-R-C-H-E-N-E-M-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 79,518th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is archenemy?
Archenemy appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 79,518th 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 archenemy?
- /ˌɑː(ɹ)t͡ʃˈɛn.ə.mi/
- /ˌɑː(ɹ)ˈt͡ʃɛn.ə.mi/
Archenemy 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-archenemy.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with archenemy
Also written: arch-enemy (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of archenemy
- archenemies plural
- arch-enemy
- arch enemy
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does archenemy mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A principal enemy.
- 2
A supreme and most powerful enemy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Archenemy in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a principal enemy:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ennemi juré |
| German | Erzfeind, Erzfeindin |
| Portuguese | arqui-inimigo |
| Spanish | archienemigo, mayor enemigo, peor enemigo |
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 archenemy come from?
From arch- (“chief, most extreme”) + enemy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).