culmination
/ˌkʌl.məˈneɪ.ʃən/noun
culmination is spelled C-U-L-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,629th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, culmination means “The attainment of the highest point of altitude reached by a heavenly body; passage across the meridian; transit” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of culmination is culminations.
How many letters and syllables are in culmination?
| Letters | 11: C-U-L-M-I-N-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.8 times per million words; the 20,629th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is culmination?
Culmination appears 1.8 times per million words in written English, the 20,629th 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 culmination?
- UK /ˌkʌl.mɪˈneɪ.ʃən/
- US /ˌkʌl.məˈneɪ.ʃən/
- Australia /ˌkal.mɪˈnæɪ.ʃən/
Culmination has 4 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-culmination.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with culmination?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as culmination from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of culmination
- culminations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does culmination mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The attainment of the highest point of altitude reached by a heavenly body; passage across the meridian; transit.
- 2
CanadaUKAn endpoint arrived at after some series of actions or events, or some period, usually after the series or period has ended. The sum of something.
- 3
USAn attainment or arrival at the highest pitch of glory, power, etc.
- 4
USA ceremony marking the completion of studies at an elementary school, middle school or junior high school.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Culmination in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Gipfelpunkt , Höhepunkt |
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 culmination come from?
Borrowed from French culmination, from culminer, or from Medieval Latin culminatus + -tion. Morphologically culminate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).