childbirth
/ˈt͡ʃaɪldˌbɝθ/noun
childbirth is spelled C-H-I-L-D-B-I-R-T-H: 10 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,687th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, childbirth means “The fact or action of giving birth to a child, as the culmination of pregnancy; the process by which it happens” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of childbirth is childbirths.
How many letters and syllables are in childbirth?
| Letters | 10: C-H-I-L-D-B-I-R-T-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.6 times per million words; the 16,687th 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 childbirth?
Childbirth appears 2.6 times per million words in written English, the 16,687th 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 childbirth?
- US /ˈt͡ʃaɪldˌbɝθ/
Childbirth has 2 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)-Flame,_not_lame-childbirth.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with childbirth
Also written: child-birth (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of childbirth
- childbirths plural
- child-birth
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does childbirth mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The fact or action of giving birth to a child, as the culmination of pregnancy; the process by which it happens.
Near-synonyms: labour, delivery (the moment of emergence)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Childbirth in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense act of giving birth:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | accouchement, parturition, naissance |
| German | Entbindung, Geburt, Geburt eines Kindes, Gebären, Niederkunft, Partus |
| Portuguese | parto |
| Spanish | parto, nacimiento, alumbramiento |
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 childbirth come from?
From Middle English childbyrth [and other forms], perhaps a partial calque of Old Norse barnburðr (“childbearing, childbirth”, literally “bairn birth”); equivalent to child + birth. Compare Swedish barnsbörd (“childbirth”), Icelandic barnsburður (“childbirth”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).