cenotaph
/ˈsɛn.əˌtæf/noun
cenotaph is spelled C-E-N-O-T-A-P-H: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cenotaph means “A monument, generally in the form of an empty tomb, erected to honour the dead whose bodies lie elsewhere, especially members of the armed forces who…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cenotaph is cenotaphs.
How many letters and syllables are in cenotaph?
| Letters | 8: C-E-N-O-T-A-P-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 46,473rd 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 cenotaph?
Cenotaph appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 46,473rd 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 cenotaph?
- UK /ˈsɛn.əˌtɑːf/
- UK /ˈsɛn.əˌtæf/
- US /ˈsɛn.əˌtæf/
Cenotaph has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cenotaph.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cenotaph
- cenotaphs plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cenotaph mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A monument, generally in the form of an empty tomb, erected to honour the dead whose bodies lie elsewhere, especially members of the armed forces who died in battle.
A cenotaph was erected for him in Gaul, while his body was taken to Rome and inclosed in a magnificent tomb.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cenotaph in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense monument to honor the dead whose bodies lie elsewhere:
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 cenotaph come from?
From French cénotaphe, from Ancient Greek κενός (kenós, “empty”) + τάφος (táphos, “tomb”). By surface analysis ceno- + -taph.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).