attenuation
noun
attenuation is spelled A-T-T-E-N-U-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, attenuation means “A gradual diminishing of strength” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of attenuation is attenuations.
How many letters and syllables are in attenuation?
| Letters | 11: A-T-T-E-N-U-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,565th 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 attenuation?
Attenuation appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,565th 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 attenuation?
- US
Attenuation has 5 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)-Wodencafe-attenuation.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of attenuation
- attenuations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does attenuation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A gradual diminishing of strength.
- 2
A reduction in the level of some property with distance, especially the amplitude of a wave or the strength of a signal.
- 3
A weakening in the virulence of a pathogen or other microorganism.
- 4
The tapering of a leaf etc to a fine point.
- 5
A fabrication process in which a material is stretched out into a thin shape.
- 6
The reduction of the active principles of medicines to minute doses.
- 7
The proportion of sugar that is converted to ethanol by a yeast.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Attenuation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | atténuation |
| German | Verminderung , Attenuation, Dämpfung , Attenuierung, Abschwächung |
| Spanish | atenuación |
| Portuguese | atenuação |
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 attenuation come from?
From Middle English attenuacioun, a borrowing from Latin attenuātiō (“a diminishing”). Equivalent to attenuate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).