contestant
/kənˈtɛstənt/noun
contestant is spelled C-O-N-T-E-S-T-A-N-T: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, contestant means “A participant in a contest; specifically, a person who plays a game, as on a TV game show” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of contestant is contestants.
How many letters and syllables are in contestant?
| Letters | 10: C-O-N-T-E-S-T-A-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.0 times per million words; the 15,368th 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 contestant?
Contestant appears 3.0 times per million words in written English, the 15,368th 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 contestant?
- US /kənˈtɛstənt/
- US [kənˈtʰɛstənt]
- British /kənˈtɛst(ə)nt/
Contestant 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-contestant.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of contestant
- contestants plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contestant mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A participant in a contest; specifically, a person who plays a game, as on a TV game show.
- 2
One who brings a legal challenge (such as a will, verdict, or decision).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Contestant in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense participant in a contest:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | participant, candidat |
| Spanish | concursante |
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 contestant come from?
From French contestant, present participle of contester.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).