calumny
ca·lum·ny/ˈkæləmni/noun, verb
calumny is spelled C-A-L-U-M-N-Y: 7 letters and 3 syllables (ca·lum·ny). It appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, calumny means “A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of calumny is calumnies.
How many letters and syllables are in calumny?
| Letters | 7: C-A-L-U-M-N-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ca·lum·ny |
| In writing | about once in every 11 million words; the 98,107th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is calumny?
Calumny appears about once in every 11 million words in written English, the 98,107th 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 calumny?
- US /ˈkæləmni/
As a verb (“To make false accusations or levy false charges against a…”): /ˈkæləmni/, /kəˈlʌmni/.
Calumny has 3 syllables, split ca·lum·ny in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-calumny.wav, En-au-calumny.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-calumny2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of calumny
- calumnies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- calumnying participle, present
- calumnied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does calumny mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A false accusation or charge brought to tarnish another's reputation or standing.
- 2
Falsifications or misrepresentations intended to disparage or discredit another.
Accusations of abuse were pure extortive calumny in a malicious bid to make money.
verb
- 1
To make false accusations or levy false charges against a person with the intent to tarnish that person's reputation or standing; to calumniate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Calumny in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Verleumdung , Rufmord , verleumden |
| Portuguese | calúnia |
| French | calomnie |
| Spanish | calumnia |
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 calumny come from?
From Late Middle English calumnīe (“false accusation, slander; (law) objection raised in bad faith”), borrowed from Old French calomnie (“slander, calumny”) (modern French calomnie), or directly from its etymon Latin calumnia (“false statement, misrepresentation; false accusation, malicious charge”), perhaps also related to calvor (“to deceive”). The English word is a doublet of challenge.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).