contort
/kənˈtɔː(ɹ)t/verb
contort is spelled C-O-N-T-O-R-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, contort means “To twist in a violent manner” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in contort?
| Letters | 7: C-O-N-T-O-R-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 91,522nd 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 contort?
Contort appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd 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 contort?
- /kənˈtɔː(ɹ)t/
Contort 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-contort.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of contort
- contorts present, singular, he/she/it
- contorting participle, present
- contorted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contort mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To twist in a violent manner.
features contorted with fury
- 2
To twist into or as if into a strained shape or expression.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Contort in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | se contorsionner |
| Portuguese | contorcer , contorcer-se |
| German | verzerren |
| Spanish | contorsionar |
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 contort come from?
Equivalent to con- + -tort; from Middle English, borrowed from Latin contortus, past participle of contorqueō, from com- + torqueō (“twist, turn”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).