costume
/ˈkɑsˌt(j)um/noun, verb
costume is spelled C-O-S-T-U-M-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,309th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, costume means “A style of dress, including garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period or people” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of costume is costumes.
How many letters and syllables are in costume?
| Letters | 7: C-O-S-T-U-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,309th 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 costume?
Costume appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,309th 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 costume?
- UK /ˈkɒs.tjuːm/
- UK /ˈkɒs.t͡ʃuːm/
- US /ˈkɑsˌt(j)um/
As a verb (“To dress or adorn with a costume or appropriate garb”): /ˈkɒs.tjuːm/, /ˈkɒs.t͡ʃuːm/, /kɑsˈt(j)um/.
Costume 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: En-us-costume.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of costume
- costumes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- costuming participle, present
- costumed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does costume mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A style of dress, including garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period or people.
- 2
An outfit or a disguise worn as fancy dress etc.
We wore gorilla costumes to the party.
- 3
A set of clothes appropriate for a particular occasion or season.
The bride wore a grey going-away costume.
- 4
A swimming costume.
verb
- 1
To dress or adorn with a costume or appropriate garb.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Costume in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | costume , déguisement |
| German | Kostüm, Tracht , kostümieren |
| Portuguese | traje, costume , fantasia , indumentária |
| Spanish | traje , disfraz, fachas |
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 costume come from?
Borrowed from French costume, from Italian costume, from Latin consuētūdō (“custom, habit”). Doublet of consuetude, custom, and kastom. Verb circa 1802, perhaps modelled on French costumer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).