compass
com·pass/ˈkʌm.pəs/noun, verb
compass is spelled C-O-M-P-A-S-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables (com·pass). It appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, compass means “A magnetic or electronic device used to determine the cardinal directions (usually magnetic or true north)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of compass is compasses.
How many letters and syllables are in compass?
| Letters | 7: C-O-M-P-A-S-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: com·pass |
| In writing | 5.5 times per million words; the 10,519th 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 compass?
Compass appears 5.5 times per million words in written English, the 10,519th 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 compass?
- /ˈkʌm.pəs/
- [ˈkɐm.pəs]
Compass has 2 syllables, split com·pass in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-compass.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of compass
- compasses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- compassing participle, present
- compassed participle, past
- more compass comparative
- most compass superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does compass mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A magnetic or electronic device used to determine the cardinal directions (usually magnetic or true north).
- 2
A pair of compasses (a device used to draw circular arcs and transfer length measurements).
- 3
The range of notes of a musical instrument or voice.
- 4
obsoleteA space within limits; an area.
- 5
obsoleteAn enclosing limit; a boundary, a circumference.
within the compass of an encircling wall
- 6
Moderate bounds, limits of truth; moderation; due limits; used with within.
- 7
Synonym of scope.
- 8
obsoleteRange, reach.
verb
- 1
To surround; to encircle; to environ; to stretch round.
- 2
To go about or round entirely; to traverse.
- 3
datedTo accomplish; to reach; to achieve; to obtain.
- 4
datedTo plot; to scheme (against someone).
But it went beyond it by the loose construction of compassing to depose the King, …
adverb
- 1
obsoleteIn a circuit; round about.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Compass in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | boussole , ambitus , portée, étendue |
| German | Kompass, Seekompass, Bussole , Umfang, Umkreis |
| Portuguese | bússola , área, âmbito, alcance , limite |
| Spanish | brújula, aguja de marear, aguja de bitácora , área, ámbito, alcance |
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 compass come from?
From Middle English compas (“a circle, circuit, limit, form, a mathematical instrument”), from Old French compas, from Medieval Latin compassus (“a circle, a circuit”), from Latin com- (“together”) + passus (“a pace, step, later a pass, way, route”); see pass, pace.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).