combat
/ˈkɑmˌbæt/noun, verb
combat is spelled C-O-M-B-A-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, combat means “A battle, a fight (often one in which weapons are used)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of combat is combats.
How many letters and syllables are in combat?
| Letters | 6: C-O-M-B-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 36 times per million words; the 2,669th 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 combat?
Combat appears 36 times per million words in written English, the 2,669th 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 combat?
- UK /ˈkɒmˌbæt/
- UK /ˈkʌmˌbæt/
- US /ˈkɑmˌbæt/
Combat 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: En-us-combat.ogg, En-us-combat_(verb).ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with combat?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as combat from its last stressed vowel (/ɑmbæt/):
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 combat
- combats plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- combating participle, present
- combatting participle, present
- combated participle, past
- combatted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does combat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A battle, a fight (often one in which weapons are used).
- 2
a struggle for victory
verb
- 1
To fight; to struggle against.
It has proven very difficult to combat drug addiction.
- 2
To fight (with); to struggle for victory (against).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate combat?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of combat: MCI.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Combat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | combat, bataille, lutte , combattre |
| German | Kampf, Schlacht, Gefecht , kämpfen (gegen, mit), bekämpfen |
| Portuguese | batalha, combate, luta, peleja, pugna , combater |
| Spanish | batalla, acción, combate , combatir |
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 combat come from?
16th century, borrowed from Middle French combat, deverbal from Old French combatre, from Vulgar Latin *combattere, from Latin com- (“with”) + battuere (“to beat, strike”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).