bittersweet
/ˈbɪtɚˌswit/adjective, noun
bittersweet is spelled B-I-T-T-E-R-S-W-E-E-T: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, bittersweet means “Both bitter and sweet” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in bittersweet?
| Letters | 11: B-I-T-T-E-R-S-W-E-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th 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 bittersweet?
Bittersweet appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th 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 bittersweet?
- US /ˈbɪtɚˌswit/
- US [ˈbɪɾɚˌswiʔt̚]
- US /ˌbɪtɚˈswit/
Bittersweet 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)-Wodencafe-bittersweet.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with bittersweet
Also written: bitter-sweet (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of bittersweet
- more bittersweet comparative
- most bittersweet superlative
- bitter-sweet
- bittersweets plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bittersweet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Both bitter and sweet.
bittersweet chocolate
- 2
Expressing contrasting emotions of pain and pleasure.
The break-up was very bittersweet; they both hurt to end it, but were glad it was over.
- 3
Of bittersweet color (see the noun section, below).
noun
- 1
Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara).
- 2
Bittersweetness.
- 3
USA vine, of the genus Celastrus, having small orange fruit that open to reveal red seeds.
- 4
A variety of apple with a bittersweet taste.
- 5
Any variety of clam in the family Glycymerididae
- 6
A pinkish-orange color. Any color in between scarlet and orange.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bittersweet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | doux-amer, aigre-doux , mi-figue mi-raisin , douce-amère |
| German | bittersüß , Bittersüß, Bittersüßer Nachtschatten |
| Portuguese | agridoce , doce-amarga, dolce-amarga |
| Spanish | dulce y amargo, agridulce , dulcamara, dulzamara |
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 bittersweet come from?
From Middle English bitterswete, biterswete, equivalent to bitter + sweet. Cognate with Saterland Frisian bitterswäit (“bittersweet”), West Frisian bittersoet (“bittersweet”), Dutch bitterzoet (“bittersweet”), German bittersüß (“bittersweet”), Danish bittersød (“bittersweet”), Swedish bittersöt (“bittersweet”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).