compunction
/kəmˈpʌŋk.ʃən/noun
compunction is spelled C-O-M-P-U-N-C-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 75,877th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, compunction means “A pricking of conscience or a feeling of regret, especially one which is slight or fleeting” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of compunction is compunctions.
How many letters and syllables are in compunction?
| Letters | 11: C-O-M-P-U-N-C-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 75,877th 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 compunction?
Compunction appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 75,877th 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 compunction?
- /kəmˈpʌŋk.ʃən/
Compunction has 3 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-au-compunction.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of compunction
- compunctions plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does compunction mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A pricking of conscience or a feeling of regret, especially one which is slight or fleeting.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Compunction in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense pricking of conscience:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | scrupule, remords, componction |
| German | Gewissensbisse, Reue |
| Portuguese | compunção |
| Spanish | compunción, remordimiento |
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 compunction come from?
From Middle English compunccion, borrowed from Old French compunction, from Late Latin compunctionem (“a pricking”), from Latin compunctus, the past participle of compungere (“to severely prick”), from com- + pungere (“to prick”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).