conceit
/kənˈsiːt/noun
conceit is spelled C-O-N-C-E-I-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, conceit means “The faculty of conceiving ideas; mental faculty; apprehension” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of conceit is conceits.
How many letters and syllables are in conceit?
| Letters | 7: C-O-N-C-E-I-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 36,176th 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 conceit?
Conceit appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 36,176th 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 conceit?
- /kənˈsiːt/
Conceit 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)-Mélange_a_trois-conceit.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of conceit
- conceits plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- conceiting participle, present
- conceited participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does conceit mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteSomething conceived in the mind; an idea, a thought.
- 2
The faculty of conceiving ideas; mental faculty; apprehension.
a man of quick conceit
- 3
Quickness of apprehension; active imagination; lively fancy.
- 4
obsoleteOpinion, (neutral) judgment.
- 5
archaicEsteem, favourable opinion.
- 6
A novel or fanciful idea; a whim.
- 7
An ingenious expression or metaphorical idea, especially in extended form or used as a literary or rhetorical device.
- 8
Overly high self-esteem; vain pride; hubris.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo form an idea; to think.
- 2
obsoleteTo conceive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Conceit in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Eingebung, Einfall , Einbildung, Dünkel, Eigendünkel, Arroganz |
| Spanish | concepto, idea, concepción , engreimiento, vanidad, presunción |
| French | vanité, orgueil |
| Portuguese | presunção, vaidade |
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 conceit come from?
From Middle English conceyte, formed from conceyven by analogy with pairs such as (Modern English) deceive~deceit, receive~receipt etc. Doublet of concept and concetto.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).