contributory
/ˈkɒntɹɪˌbjuːt(ə)ɹi/adjective, noun
contributory is spelled C-O-N-T-R-I-B-U-T-O-R-Y: 12 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, contributory means “Of, pertaining to, or involving a contribution” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in contributory?
| Letters | 12: C-O-N-T-R-I-B-U-T-O-R-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 42,145th 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 contributory?
Contributory appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 42,145th 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 contributory?
- UK /ˈkɒntɹɪˌbjuːt(ə)ɹi/
- UK /kənˈtɹɪbjʊt(ə)ɹi/
- UK /kənˈtɹɪbjət(ə)ɹi/
Contributory has 5 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-contributory.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-contributory2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of contributory
- more contributory comparative
- most contributory superlative
- contributories plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does contributory mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, pertaining to, or involving a contribution.
- 2
Tending to contribute to a result.
- 3
obsoletePaying tribute, tributary.
noun
- 1
A person or thing that contributes.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does contributory come from?
From earlier contributary, from Middle English contributarie, from con- + tributarie after Middle French contributaire.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).