countenance
/ˈkaʊn.tə.nəns/noun, verb
countenance is spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-N-A-N-C-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, countenance means “Appearance, especially the features and expression of the face” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of countenance is countenances.
How many letters and syllables are in countenance?
| Letters | 11: C-O-U-N-T-E-N-A-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd 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 countenance?
Countenance appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd 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 countenance?
- US /ˈkaʊn.tə.nəns/
- US /ˈkaʊnt.nəns/
- Australia [kæũ̯n.tɪ̆.nəns]
Countenance 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-countenance.ogg, En-au-countenance.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of countenance
- countenances plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- countenaunce
- countenancing participle, present
- countenanced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does countenance mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Appearance, especially the features and expression of the face.
- 2
Favour; support; encouragement.
- 3
obsoleteSuperficial appearance; show; pretense.
- 4
Calm facial expression, composure, self-control.
verb
- 1
To tolerate, support, sanction, patronise or approve of something.
The cruel punishment was countenanced by the government, although it was not officially legal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Countenance in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | visage , approuver |
| German | Antlitz, Gesichtsausdruck, Miene , Unterstützung , Fassung, Haltung |
| Portuguese | aparência, semblante , tolerar |
| Spanish | semblante |
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 countenance come from?
From Middle English contenaunce, countenaunce, from Anglo-Norman countenance and Old French contenance, from the present participle of contenir, or from Late Latin continentia, and therefore a doublet of continence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).