context
/ˈkɑn.tɛkst/noun
context is spelled C-O-N-T-E-X-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 43 times per million words in written English, the 2,339th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, context means “The surroundings, circumstances, environment, background or settings that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of context is contexts.
How many letters and syllables are in context?
| Letters | 7: C-O-N-T-E-X-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 43 times per million words; the 2,339th 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 context?
Context appears 43 times per million words in written English, the 2,339th 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 context?
- UK /ˈkɒn.tɛkst/
- US /ˈkɑn.tɛkst/
- Australia /ˈkɔn.tekst/
Context 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)-Vealhurl-context.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of context
- contexts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- contexting participle, present
- contexted participle, past
- more context comparative
- most context superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does context mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The surroundings, circumstances, environment, background or settings that determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event or other occurrence.
–In what context did your attack on him happen? –We had a pretty tense relationship at the time, and when he insulted me I snapped.
- 2
The text in which a word or passage appears and which helps ascertain its meaning.
Without context, I can't tell if dish refers to a plate, or to the food served thereon.
- 3
The surroundings and environment in which an artifact is found and which may provide important clues about the artifact's function and/or cultural meaning.
- 4
The trama or flesh of a mushroom.
- 5
For a formula: a finite set of variables, which set contains all the free variables in the given formula.
- 6
The data (register contents, program counter value, etc.) needed to switch to another thread of execution.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo knit or bind together; to unite closely.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteKnit or woven together; close; firm.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate context?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of context: ctx.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Context in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense circumstances or settings:
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 context come from?
From Latin context(us).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).