bloodletting
noun, verb
bloodletting is spelled B-L-O-O-D-L-E-T-T-I-N-G: 12 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 59,387th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bloodletting means “The archaic practice of treating illness by removing some blood, believed to be tainted, from the stricken person” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bloodletting is bloodlettings.
How many letters and syllables are in bloodletting?
| Letters | 12: B-L-O-O-D-L-E-T-T-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 59,387th 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 bloodletting?
Bloodletting appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 59,387th 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 bloodletting?
Bloodletting 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-bloodletting.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with bloodletting
Also written: blood-letting (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of bloodletting
- bloodlettings plural
- blood-letting
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bloodletting mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The archaic practice of treating illness by removing some blood, believed to be tainted, from the stricken person.
- 2
The diminishment of any resource with the hope that this will lead to a positive effect.
Yet another round of corporate bloodletting.
- 3
A circumstance, such as a battle, where a large amount of blood is likely to be spilled through violence.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of bloodlet
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bloodletting in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | saignée , effusion de sang |
| German | Aderlass, Schröpfen , Blutvergießen |
| Portuguese | sangria |
| Spanish | sangría, sangradura, sangrado |
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 bloodletting come from?
From blood + letting, equal to bloodlet + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).