breathtaking
/ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/adjective
breathtaking is spelled B-R-E-A-T-H-T-A-K-I-N-G: 12 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, breathtaking means “stunningly beautiful; amazing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in breathtaking?
| Letters | 12: B-R-E-A-T-H-T-A-K-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.0 times per million words; the 12,940th 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 breathtaking?
Breathtaking appears 4.0 times per million words in written English, the 12,940th 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 breathtaking?
- US /ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/
Breathtaking 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: En-us-breathtaking.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of breathtaking
- more breathtaking comparative
- most breathtaking superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does breathtaking mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
stunningly beautiful; amazing
He went to the Grand Canyon and spent a week taking in the breathtaking scenery all around him.
- 2
Very surprising or shocking; to such a degree as to cause astonishment.
breathtaking stupidity or rudeness
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Breathtaking in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense stunningly beautiful:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | époustouflant, à couper le souffle |
| German | atemberaubend |
| Portuguese | de tirar o fôlego |
| Spanish | impresionante, emocionante, asombroso, fascinador, fascinante |
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 breathtaking come from?
From breath + taking.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).