artifice
/ˈɑː(ɹ)tɪfɪs/noun, verb
artifice is spelled A-R-T-I-F-I-C-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, artifice means “Crafty deception” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of artifice is artifices.
How many letters and syllables are in artifice?
| Letters | 8: A-R-T-I-F-I-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,230th 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 artifice?
Artifice appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th 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 artifice?
- /ˈɑː(ɹ)tɪfɪs/
Artifice 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: En-us-artifice.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of artifice
- artifices plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- artificing participle, present
- artificed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does artifice mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Crafty deception.
- 2
A trick played out as an ingenious, but artful, ruse.
- 3
A strategic maneuver that uses some clever means to avoid detection or capture.
- 4
A tactical move to gain advantage.
- 5
Skill; cleverness.
- 6
archaicSomething made with technical skill; a contrivance.
verb
- 1
To construct by means of skill or specialised art
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Artifice in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | artifice, feinte |
| Portuguese | artifício, artimanha |
| Spanish | artificio |
| German | Kunstgriff |
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 artifice come from?
From Middle French artifice, from Latin artificium.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).