deathwatch
/ˈdɛθwɒtʃ/noun
deathwatch is spelled D-E-A-T-H-W-A-T-C-H: 10 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, deathwatch means “A vigil beside a dying person” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of deathwatch is deathwatches.
How many letters and syllables are in deathwatch?
| Letters | 10: D-E-A-T-H-W-A-T-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 103,949th 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 deathwatch?
Deathwatch appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th 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 deathwatch?
- UK /ˈdɛθwɒtʃ/
Deathwatch 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-au-deathwatch.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of deathwatch
- deathwatches plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does deathwatch mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A vigil beside a dying person
- 2
One who guards a condemned person before execution.
- 3
A deathwatch beetle.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Deathwatch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a vigil beside a dying person:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Totenwache |
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 deathwatch come from?
From death + watch.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).