canyon
can·yon/ˈkænjən/noun, verb
canyon is spelled C-A-N-Y-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (can·yon). It appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, canyon means “A valley, especially a long, narrow, steep valley, cut in rock by a river” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of canyon is canyons.
How many letters and syllables are in canyon?
| Letters | 6: C-A-N-Y-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: can·yon |
| In writing | 9.1 times per million words; the 7,553rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is canyon?
Canyon appears 9.1 times per million words in written English, the 7,553rd 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 canyon?
- /ˈkænjən/
- /ˈkæɲən/
Canyon has 2 syllables, split can·yon in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-canyon.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with canyon
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: canon.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of canyon
- canyons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cañon
- cañón
- canyoning participle, present
- canyoned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does canyon mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A valley, especially a long, narrow, steep valley, cut in rock by a river.
verb
- 1
Of water, liquid, or another substance, to flow in or into a canyon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Canyon in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a valley cut in rock by a river:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gorge, canyon |
| German | Schlucht, Felsschlucht, Klamm |
| Portuguese | canhão, desfiladeiro, cânion |
| Spanish | cañón, barranca, cañadón |
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 canyon come from?
Borrowed from Spanish cañón. Doublet of cannon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).