Skip to main content
PlainSpell

award

/əˈwɔɹd/noun, verb

award is spelled A-W-A-R-D: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 76 times per million words in written English, the 1,394th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, award means “A judgment, sentence, or final decision. Specifically: The decision of arbitrators in a case submitted” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of award is awards.

How many letters and syllables are in award?

Letters5: A-W-A-R-D
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing76 times per million words; the 1,394th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 award?

Award appears 76 times per million words in written English, the 1,394th 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 award?

  • UK /əˈwɔːd/
  • US /əˈwɔɹd/

Award 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-award.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with award?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as award from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹd/):

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 award

  • awards plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • awarding participle, present
  • awarded participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does award mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A judgment, sentence, or final decision. Specifically: The decision of arbitrators in a case submitted.

  2. 2

    The paper containing the decision of arbitrators; that which is warded.

  3. 3

    Funding that has been granted for the conduct of a research project.

  4. 4

    A trophy or medal; something that denotes an accomplishment, especially in a competition. A prize or honor based on merit.

  5. 5

    AustraliaA negotiated set of employment conditions and minimum wages for a particular trade or industry; an industrial award.

verb

  1. 1

    To determine; to make or grant an award.

  2. 2

    To give (an award).

    Four or five of these medals are awarded every year.

  3. 3

    To give (a person) an award.

    He was awarded with the Nobel Prize for Literature.

  4. 4

    To give by sentence or judicial determination; to assign or apportion, after careful regard to the nature of the case.

    The arbitrators awarded damages to the complainant.

  5. 5

    UK(in an examination) To give marks for a correct answer.

    Do not award marks for data from previous questions.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Award in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
GermanSpruch, Entscheid (decision of arbitrators), Preis, Belohnung (trophy or medal)
Portuguesesentença (decision of arbitrators), prémio, prêmio (trophy or medal), conceder (to give by judicial determination), premiar, contemplar (to make an award)
Spanishlaudo (decision of arbitrators), premio, galardón (trophy or medal), fallar, laudar (to give by judicial determination), premiar (to make an award)
Frenchprix, trophée, médaille (trophy or medal), accorder, décerner (to give by judicial determination)

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 award come from?

From Middle English awarden, from Anglo-Norman awarder, from Medieval Latin *exwardare, from Latin ex (“out”) + Medieval Latin wardare, guardare (“to observe, regard, guard”); see ward, guard, regard.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after award