beacon
/ˈbiːkən/noun, verb
beacon is spelled B-E-A-C-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, beacon means “A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of beacon is beacons.
How many letters and syllables are in beacon?
| Letters | 6: B-E-A-C-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.5 times per million words; the 10,519th 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 beacon?
Beacon appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th 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 beacon?
- UK /ˈbiːkən/
Beacon 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-beacon.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of beacon
- beacons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- beaconing participle, present
- beaconed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does beacon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
- 2
A signal, buoy, post, or other conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners, particularly to warn vessels of danger.
- 3
A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as guidance for seafarers.
- 4
That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path; a source of inspiration.
a beacon of hope
- 5
An electronic device that broadcasts a signal to nearby portable devices, enabling smartphones etc. to perform actions when in physical proximity to the beacon.
- 6
Ellipsis of web beacon.
verb
- 1
To act as a beacon.
- 2
To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
- 3
To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Beacon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | balise , phare , amer |
| German | Leuchtfeuer , Bake , Orientierungspunkt , Fanal |
| Portuguese | almenara , farol, fanal |
| Spanish | baliza, almenara , fanal , cúspide, punto conspicuo |
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 beacon come from?
From Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn (“sign, signal”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-, *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”). Doublet of buoy. Compare West Frisian beaken (“buoy”), Dutch baken (“beacon”), Middle Low German bāke (“beacon, sign”), German Bake (“traffic sign”), Middle High German bouchen (“sign”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).