beckon
/ˈbɛkən/verb, noun
beckon is spelled B-E-C-K-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,074th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, beckon means “To wave or nod to somebody with the intention to make the person come closer” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in beckon?
| Letters | 6: B-E-C-K-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 60,074th 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 beckon?
Beckon appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,074th 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 beckon?
- UK /ˈbɛkən/
Beckon 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-beckon.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of beckon
- beckons present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- beckoning participle, present
- beckoned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does beckon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To wave or nod to somebody with the intention to make the person come closer.
- 2
To seem attractive and inviting.
noun
- 1
A sign made without words; a beck.
- 2
A children's game similar to hide and seek in which children who have been "caught" may escape if they see another hider beckon to them.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Beckon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | faire signe |
| German | heranwinken, herbeiwinken, winken, zuwinken , einladen |
| Portuguese | acenar , atrair |
| Spanish | llamar con señas, hacer ademanes para que se acerque, deseñar, hacer gestos para que venga |
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 beckon come from?
From Middle English bekenen, beknen, becnen, beknien, from Old English bēacnian, bēcnian, bīecnan (“to signal; beckon”), from Proto-West Germanic *bauknōn, *bauknijan (“to signal”), from *baukn (“signal; beacon”). Cognate with Old Saxon bōknian, Old High German bouhnen, Old Norse bákna. More at beacon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).