conference
/ˈkɑn.f(ə.)ɹəns/noun, verb
conference is spelled C-O-N-F-E-R-E-N-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 102 times per million words in written English, the 1,048th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, conference means “The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of conference is conferences.
How many letters and syllables are in conference?
| Letters | 10: C-O-N-F-E-R-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 102 times per million words; the 1,048th 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 conference?
Conference appears 102 times per million words in written English, the 1,048th 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 conference?
- UK /ˈkɒn.f(ə.)ɹəns/
- US /ˈkɑn.f(ə.)ɹəns/
- US [ˈkʰɑɱ.fɹəns]
Conference 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-conference.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of conference
- conferences plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- conferencing participle, present
- conferenced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does conference mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.
- 2
obsoleteThe act of comparing two or more things together; comparison.
- 3
A multilateral diplomatic negotiation.
- 4
A formal event where scientists or other scholars present their research results in speeches, workshops, posters or by other means.
- 5
An event organized by a for-profit or non-profit organization to discuss a pressing issue, such as a new product, market trend or government regulation, with a range of speakers.
- 6
A group of sports teams that play each other on a regular basis.
- 7
A constituent tournament of a sports league in a given season.
- 8
A stated meeting of preachers and others, invested with authority to take cognizance of ecclesiastical matters.
verb
- 1
To assess (a student) by one-on-one conversation, rather than an examination.
noun
- 1
An autumn cultivar of the European pear Pyrus communis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate conference?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of conference: conf, conf..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Conference in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a meeting of people:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | conférence |
| German | Konferenz, Tagung |
| Portuguese | conferência |
| Spanish | conferencia |
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 conference come from?
From Middle French conférence, from Medieval Latin cōnferentia, from Latin cōnferēns, omitting several steps, from con- + ferō. Compare parallel Russian собра́ние (sobránije), Russian сбо́рище (sbórišče), akin to с- (s-), со- (so-) + брать (bratʹ), ultimately from the same Indo-European prefix and root. Also compare congress, convention.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).