condolence
/kənˈdoʊləns/noun
condolence is spelled C-O-N-D-O-L-E-N-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, condolence means “Comfort, support or sympathy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of condolence is condolences.
How many letters and syllables are in condolence?
| Letters | 10: C-O-N-D-O-L-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd 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 condolence?
Condolence appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd 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 condolence?
- US /kənˈdoʊləns/
- /ˈkɒndələns/
Condolence 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-us-condolence.ogg, En-us-condolences.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of condolence
- condolences plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does condolence mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Comfort, support or sympathy.
There was not much to do after the accident but offer what condolence I could.
- 2
An expression of comfort, support, or sympathy offered to the family and friends of somebody who has died.
I sent her a card expressing my condolences after her mother passed away.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Condolence in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | réconfort , condoléances |
| German | Beileid, Anteilnahme , Kondolenz |
| Portuguese | condolência, pêsame |
| Spanish | pésame, péname, condolencia |
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 condolence come from?
From condole + -ence, or from Middle French condoléance, or formed from the root of Latin condoleō (“to sympathize”), from con- (“together, with”) and doleō (“to hurt, suffer, have pain”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).