certain
cer·tain/ˈsɝ.tən/adjective, determiner, pronoun
certain is spelled C-E-R-T-A-I-N, 2 syllables: cer·tain. The wrong spelling people search most is certian: about 150 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 13 of all searches for the word. Certain is an adjective meaning “Sure in one's mind, positive; absolutely confident in the truth of something”.
How many letters and syllables are in certain?
| Letters | 7: C-E-R-T-A-I-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: cer·tain |
| In writing | 145 times per million words; the 711th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, certian, about 150 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How do you spell certain?
Certain is spelled C-E-R-T-A-I-N. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 13 of the searches for certain in either form.
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). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is certain?
Certain appears 145 times per million words in written English, the 711th 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 certain?
- UK /ˈsɜː.tən/
- UK /ˈsɜː.tn̩/
- US /ˈsɝ.tən/
Certain has 2 syllables, split cer·tain in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-ca-certain.ogg, En-us-certain.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with certain?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as certain from its last stressed vowel (/ɜɹtən/):
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 certain
- more certain comparative
- certainer comparative
- most certain superlative
- certainest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does certain mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Sure in one's mind, positive; absolutely confident in the truth of something.
I was certain of my decision.
- 2
Not to be doubted or denied; established as a fact.
Now that more experiments have been run, the theory is certain and the argument is settled.
- 3
Sure to happen, inevitable; assured.
It is certain that Spain will reach the finals. / Spain is now certain to reach the finals. / Spain is now certain of a place in the finals.
- 4
Unfailing; infallible.
- 5
Fixed; regular; determinate.
at certain intervals
- 6
Particular and definite, but unspecified or unnamed; used to introduce someone or something without going into further detail.
Every wine has a certain distinctive character which sets it apart from all others.
- 7
Used to denote that the speaker is referring to a specific person or thing that they do not want to name directly, implying that the listener should infer the identity of the referent.
I would have been here on time, but a certain someone lost the car keys!
- 8
Named but not previously mentioned.
Looking inside the cover, they learned that the book had once belonged to a certain R. Jones.
determiner
- 1
Having been determined but not specified.
Certain people are good at running.
pronoun
- 1
Unnamed or undescribed members (of).
She mentioned a series of contracts, of which certain are not cited.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Certain in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | certain , quelconque |
| German | gewiss, sicher , irgendein , bestimmt |
| Portuguese | certo |
| Spanish | (estar) certero / cierto , (ser) cierto / certero, impepinable , (estar) cierto / certero, saberse, ser una certeza / certidumbre / certitud |
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 certain come from?
From Middle English certeyn, certein, certain, borrowed from Old French certain, from a Vulgar Latin unattested form *certānus, extended form of Latin certus (“fixed, resolved, certain”), of the same origin as cretus, past participle of cernere (“to separate, perceive, decide”). Displaced native Middle English wis, iwis (“certain, sure”) (from Old English ġewiss (“certain, sure”)) and alternative Middle English spelling sertane (“some, certain”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).