bedridden
/ˈbɛdɹɪdən/adjective
bedridden is spelled B-E-D-R-I-D-D-E-N: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, bedridden means “Confined to bed because of infirmity or illness” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bedridden?
| Letters | 9: B-E-D-R-I-D-D-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th 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 bedridden?
Bedridden appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th 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 bedridden?
- UK /ˈbɛdɹɪdən/
Bedridden has 3 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-bedridden.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with bedridden
Also written: bed-ridden (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of bedridden
- bed-ridden
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bedridden mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Confined to bed because of infirmity or illness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bedridden in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense confined to bed:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | alité, cloué au lit, grabataire |
| German | bettlägerig |
| Portuguese | acamado |
| Spanish | limitado a la cama, confinado en cama, postrado en cama, encamado |
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 bedridden come from?
From Middle English bedredyn, bedraden, bedreden, bæddrædæn (also as bedreede, bedrede), from Old English bedreda (“bedridden”, adj.), from bedreda, bedrida, bæddryda (“one who is bedridden”, noun), from bed, bedd (“bed”) + rida (“rider”), with -en by analogy with past participle adjectives.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).