catastrophic
/ˌkætəˈstɹɑfɪk/adjective
catastrophic is spelled C-A-T-A-S-T-R-O-P-H-I-C: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 3.8 times per million words in written English, the 13,321st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, catastrophic means “Of or pertaining to a catastrophe” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in catastrophic?
| Letters | 12: C-A-T-A-S-T-R-O-P-H-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.8 times per million words; the 13,321st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is catastrophic?
Catastrophic appears 3.8 times per million words in written English, the 13,321st 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 catastrophic?
- UK /kætəˈstɹɒfɪk/
- US /ˌkætəˈstɹɑfɪk/
- US [ˌkæɾəˈstɹɑfɪk]
Catastrophic 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-catastrophic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with catastrophic?
5 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as catastrophic from its last stressed vowel (/ɑfɪk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of catastrophic
- more catastrophic comparative
- most catastrophic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does catastrophic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to a catastrophe.
- 2
Disastrous; ruinous.
- 3
From which recovery is impossible.
catastrophic failure
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Catastrophic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | catastrophique , désastreux |
| German | Katastrophen- , katastrophal |
| Portuguese | catastrófico |
| Spanish | catastrófico , desastroso |
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 catastrophic come from?
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek καταστροφικός (katastrophikós). By surface analysis, catastrophe + -ic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).