august
au·gust/ɔˈɡʌst/adjective, noun
august is spelled A-U-G-U-S-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables (au·gust). It appears 126 times per million words in written English, the 831st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting August, the name). As an adjective, august means “Awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in august?
| Letters | 6: A-U-G-U-S-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: au·gust |
| In writing | 126 times per million words; the 831st 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; 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 august?
August appears 126 times per million words in written English, the 831st most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes August, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce august?
- UK /ɔːˈɡʌst/
- US /ɔˈɡʌst/
- US /ə-/
August has 2 syllables, split au·gust in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-august.ogg, En-us-August.ogg, En-au-august.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with august
Also written: auguste.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with august?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as august from its last stressed vowel (/ʌst/):
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 august
- auguster comparative
- more august comparative
- augustest superlative
- most august superlative
- augusts present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- augusting participle, present
- augusted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does august mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Awe-inspiring, majestic, noble, venerable.
an august patron of the arts
- 2
Of noble birth.
an august lineage
proper noun
- 1
The eighth month of the Roman, Julian, and Gregorian calendars, following July and preceding September.
Holonyms: calendar year; year
- 2
archaicA female given name from English derived from the month (of birth).
- 3
A male given name from Latin.
- 4
A surname from Latin.
- 5
A census-designated place in San Joaquin County, California, United States.
verb
- 1
obsoleterareTo make ripe; ripen.
- 2
obsoleterareTo bring to realization.
noun
- 1
Alternative form of auguste (“kind of clown”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
August in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | auguste , août, aout |
| German | illuster , August, Ernting |
| Portuguese | augusto, majestoso, nobre , agosto , fidalgo |
| Spanish | majestuoso, augusto , agosto , noble, hidalgo |
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 august come from?
From French auguste (“noble, stately; august”) or Latin augustus (“majestic, venerable, august; imperial, royal”), from augeō (“to augment, increase; to enlarge, expand, spread”). Doublet of August and Augustus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).