commerce
/ˈkɑ.mɚs/noun
commerce is spelled C-O-M-M-E-R-C-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,814th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, commerce means “The exchange or buying and selling of commodities; especially the exchange of merchandise, on a large scale, between different places or communities…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of commerce is commerces.
How many letters and syllables are in commerce?
| Letters | 8: C-O-M-M-E-R-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 23 times per million words; the 3,814th 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 commerce?
Commerce appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,814th 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 commerce?
- UK /ˈkɒ.mɜːs/
- US /ˈkɑ.mɚs/
- Canada /ˈkɒm.ɚs/
As a verb (“To carry on trade; to traffic”): /ˈkɒ.mɜːs/, /kəˈmɜːs/, /ˈkɑ.mɚs/.
Commerce 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-uk-commerce.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-commerce.wav, En-us-commerce.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with commerce?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as commerce from its last stressed vowel (/ɑməɹs/):
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 commerce
- commerces plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- commercing participle, present
- commerced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does commerce mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The exchange or buying and selling of commodities; especially the exchange of merchandise, on a large scale, between different places or communities; extended trade or traffic.
- 2
Social intercourse; the dealings of one person or class in society with another; familiarity.
- 3
obsoleteSexual intercourse.
carnal commerce
- 4
An 18th-century French card game in which the cards are subject to exchange, barter, or trade.
verb
- 1
archaicTo carry on trade; to traffic.
- 2
archaicTo hold conversation; to communicate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Commerce in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 commerce come from?
Borrowed from Middle French commerce, from Latin commercium. Doublet of comess.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).