cataclysm
/ˈkætəˌklɪzm̩/noun
cataclysm is spelled C-A-T-A-C-L-Y-S-M: 9 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cataclysm means “A sudden, violent event” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cataclysm is cataclysms.
How many letters and syllables are in cataclysm?
| Letters | 9: C-A-T-A-C-L-Y-S-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th 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 cataclysm?
Cataclysm appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th 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 cataclysm?
- /ˈkætəˌklɪzm̩/
Cataclysm has 4 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-cataclysm.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cataclysm
- cataclysms plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cataclysm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sudden, violent event.
- 2
A sudden and violent change in the earth's crust.
- 3
A great flood.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cataclysm in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cataclysme |
| German | katastrophales Ereignis, Kataklysmus |
| Portuguese | cataclisma |
| Spanish | cataclismo |
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 cataclysm come from?
From French cataclysme, from Latin cataclysmus, from Ancient Greek κατακλυσμός (kataklusmós, “deluge, flood”), from κατακλύζω (kataklúzō, “to dash over, flood, deluge, inundate”), from κατά (katá, “downwards, towards”) + κλύζω (klúzō, “to wash off, to wash away, to dash over”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).